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History of the town of
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ANDIA
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ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N, H
i m" m,»
From Its First Settlement to the Present Time,
BY-
J. BAILEY MOORE-
MANCHESTER, N. H. :
GEORGE W. BROWNE, PUBLISHER.
1893.
F
■ c
I
PRESS OF FRANK H. CHALLIS,
MANCHESTER, N. H.
AUTHOR'S UNFINISHED PREFACE.
Vrevious to about the year 1824 very little had been done in
the way of preparing or publishing histories of the towns in
New Hampshire. A small volume containing a sketch of the
history of Concord was published that year by Jacob B.
Moore, a journalist of that town, and whose mother was a na-
tive of Candia. Charles Bell, a brother of Judge Samuel D.
Bell, wrote a sketch of the history of old Chester, which was
printed in Moore and Farmer's Historical Collection. In
1846, Thomas B. Fox of Nashua published a small volume,
•containing a history of the town of Dunstable, of which
Nashua was a part. A year or two later a sketch of the his-
tory of Londonderry was written by Rev. Dr. E. L. Parker.
In 1853, Francis B. Eaton published a volume of 151 pages,
containing a sketch of the history of Candia, with various
sketches and biographical notices of nearly forty prominent
families. Soon after that date much larger and more compre-
hensive histories of towns began to appear, among which a his-
tory of Concord by Rev Dr. Nathaniel Bouton, and a history
-of Dublin by Rev. Dr. Leonard may be mentioned. These
were followed from time to time by other histories, some of
which were quite large and expensive. Up to the present time
about seventy histories of this kind have appeared In some
cases the work of collecting and preparing the matter has
been given to a committee, each member of which was as-
signed a special department.
The first suggestion that a second history of Candia was de-
sirable was made in 1881, at the time when various spicy arti-
cles relating to early history of the town were published in the
Candia Banner. It was said that, though Mr. Eaton's history
was interesting and valuable as far as it went, it was quite
limited in its scope and that there was no record of many very
important events which had occurred since its publication.
The subject was talked over, but no practical result was
reached for a number of years. At length the undersigned,
iii
IV HISTORY OK CANDIA.
who had always cherished an affectionate interest in the pl'ace-
of his birth and the home of his ancestors for three genera-
tions, volunteered to collect materials for a history of the:
town. He found no special difficulty in securing all the neces-
sary facts leading to public affairs and events of which there-
were records, though much labor was required, But when he-
came to gather up an account of events and facts which were-
unrecorded, he found quite a different state of things* The-
first generation of people had long before passed away, and
there were but a few of those of the second generation living
whose memories retained much of the unwritten details of by-
gone days. Among those who remembered many things told them,
by their parents, and who themselves could describe scenes of
interest which occurred in their early life were Abraham Emer-
son, who retained a vivid recollection of the events of his time
and a great store of those which he had heard from his- prede-
cessors, Mrs. Daniel McDuffee, Mrs. True French, Benjamin,,
Elias P. and Joseph Hubbard, Francis Patten, B. Pillsbury
Colby, Joseph Richardson of Raymond and
THE PUBLISHER'S REMARKS.
His last sentence unfinished and the thought incomplete the
tired hand and faltering brain found rest. It was not for the
author who had planned and considered and anticipated 5 o
much for this work to live that he might give it the final
touches and see it completed, as keenly as his many friends
feel the disappointment for his sake and their own. It is
fortunate, however, that he had so nearly ended his task that
the History of Candia stands as his own, a monument which
shall endure long after other memories of him shall have faded
and passed away.
This history must have an added, if melancholy, interest from
the fact of its being the culminating work of a long life busy
with pen and brain. It has been nearly three years since he
made a contract with the undersigned to assist him in the pre-
paration and publication of a History of Candia, and from that
time he gave his undivided attention toward the accomplish-
ment of that purpose. It was more of an undertaking than he-
had realized and before the first year's work was done he wa
HISTORY OF CANDIA. V
^conscious of his failing strength, though he kept on with com-
.snendable courage and fortitude. To use his own words, "I
put it off too long. If you have any important work to do,
•don't wait until the end approaches." Due consideration
should be allowed him on this account as well as for the many
obstacles against which he had to contend. The writing of a
town history may seem a simple affair to some, but to such I
s'have only to say — "let him try it." Mr. Moore had fully his
-share of difficulties to meet, but he labored with an unusual zeal
and untiring determination to do justice to all persons and all
subjects. If any one feels in any way slighted or aggrieved
or that any matter has been overlooked, rest assured it was en-
tirely unintentional. And here, as I know the author would have
done had he lived, I wish to thank those who so kindly ren-
dered such assistance a> they could in the matter of securing
-data, etc., but whose names are generally unknown to me. I am
sure this recognition under the circumstances will be satisfactory.
Mr. Moore gave his last copy to the printer in November, it
'being the. completion of ''Homesteads and Their Owners "
From that time until his last illness he worked as he could
upon the biographical sketches and concluding parts. Upon
.his decease Mr. A. F. Emerson of Manchester was appointed
administrator of the estate, and he with as little delay as pos-
sible arranged to have the "History Candia" ready for its sub-
scribers at as early a date as possible. He selected the under-
signed to carry out the plans of the author as far as the pre-
paration of the manuscript and the details of the publication
• of the book were concerned. This duty was more willingly ac-
cepted by me on account of the friendship and intimacy exist-
ing between the author and myself, and has been performed
with a sacred regard for what I felt had been the wishes and in-
tentions of him whom I was glad to have aided, if in a slight
way, in this matter heretofore.
Recognition is due to the town for its financial assistance to
the author, which benefit is to accrue to the residents of the
-town in getting the books at a reduced rate, and also to the sub-
stantial aid of Hon. Frederick Smyth of Manchester and Hon.
cCyrus Sargeant of Plymouth".
George Waldo Browne.
J. BAILEY MOORE.
Samuel Moore, a son of Peter Moore and a great-grandson of Samuel Moore,,
one of the first settlers at the Corner, built a house on High Street, a short dis-
tance west of the Congregational meeting house, now owned by Mrs* Ansel)
Emerson. He married Olive, a daughter of Isaiah Rowe, a soldier of tfoe Revo-
lution. They had four children, Betsey Ingalls, who died in 2819, Nathaniel
W., who died in California, 1856, Jane P. and Jacob Bailey, the last two being
twins. Jane P. married Thomas White of Lebanon, and died in 1856, leaving
two sons, Frank and Adin H., the latter dying in 1874. Samuel Moore died in.
1830, but Mrs. Moore lived until 1869.
J. Bailey Moore, as the subject of this sketch wrote his signature to avoid
confusion with others of a similar name, was born in 1815, and at the age of
seven years went to live with the family of Joshua Lane, who resided on the
place on North Road now owned by Dea. Charles R. Rowe. He worked ora
the farm and attended school in District No. 2, until he was fifteen, when he
walked to Lowell, a distance of 30 miles, and found employment in the family
of John Avery, the agent of the Hamilton mills. While there he attended the
grammar school on Middlesex street, taught by Joshua Merrill, being soon'
chosen as monitor and selected to hear classes recite. After remaining two
years in Lowell, he attended Pembroke Academy one term, and then went to-
Boston, where he lived for two years, after which he went to Lynn, Mass.
Nearly three years later he returned to Boston, where he was employed in a.
shoe store six years. While in Boston he gave considerable attention to the
study of art and attended several courses of lectures on physical science, litera-
ture, mental and moral philosophy, which were delivered by some of the most
eminent scholars in Europe and America, among whom were Agassii, Lyie,
the great geologist of London, Prof. Silliman of Yale college and many others.
During this time he was making a careful study of the various religious systems,,
including Catholicism, Protestantism, the ideas of Swedenborg, the Transcen-
dentalists and the philosophy of Free Religion, with the view of solving the
great truths relating to the beautiful world as it appeared to him.. In his studv
he sought the acquaintance of the leading thinkers of the day, such men as.
Theodore Parker, Ralph Waldo Emerson and A. Bronson Alcott, for tiie pur-
pose of obtaining more light and instruction. He also enjoyed the rare privi-
lege of listening to Webster's and Choate's oratory at the bar aad upon the
rostrum at Fanuel Hall on many momentous occasions. Upon leaving Boston
he took up his residence in Manchester, and in the course of two years he de-
livered numerous lectures upon subjects relating to the philosophy of nature,,
after which he became connected with the press. When Abraham Lincoln
made a great speech in Manchester in March, i860, he was present and made an
extended report, which was published in daily newspapers of t5ie city. In Nov-
ember he voted for Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic candidate for Presi-
dent, but when it became known that Mr. Lincoln had been feirly elected, and
vi
HISTORY OF CANDIA. Vll
the South had seceded from the Union, he wrote a long article calling upon the
citizens of all parties to rally to the support of the government. It was a time
of great peril and excitement, and many leading politicians could not rise above
partisan prejudices and resentments to perform their duty. Shortly afteiwards
he became associate editor of the Daily American, a Republican journal, and
held that position three years, while the editor and proprietor was serving as a
Major in the Federal army at the front. He was local editor of the Union
three years and a reporter for the Daily Mirror about one year. He was the
regular correspondent of the Boston Journal seVen years, the Boston Herald
six years, and a contributor to the Post of Boston and the Concord People and
Patriot several years. He also wrote a series of articles for the Candia Banner
entitled "Reminiscences of By-gone Days," under the signature of Scribbler.
Various addresses, pamphlets and documents of his have been published,
among which were The Anonymous Letters Examined and Considered, New
Hampshire at the Centennial at Philadelphia in 1876, and a paper of 26 octavo
pages entitled A Description of the Art Exhibition at Philadelphia. The two
latter documents were published by the state. He never belonged to any
society, social or religious, except a debating club, ever disclaiming all preten-
sion to pompous titles and rites and ceremonies proclaimed from the house-top.
He never held an office or sought for one, but fervently believed that a man is
not necessarily any better or more deserving of honor for being very wealthy or
for holding an office of any sort.
Mr. Moore was a man of versatile gifts and deserving of higher recognition
than the preceding modest paragraphs drafted by himself. He was more than a
newspaper correspondent or the writer of an occasional pamphlet. He was an
acute logician, with a ready command of language and an incisive wit few could
match. He was a philosopher with the imagery of a poet, and he realized and
appreciated life in its many phases, as prompt to say a word in defense of the
unfortunate as he was to utter one of his scathing rebukes when occasion seemed
to call for it. A devotee of art, he was an artist of acknowledged talent, and did in
crayon and oil several meritorious works, including lifesize portraits of Abraham
Lincoln, Gen. Stark and Gen. Grant. A close student of human nature and a
worshipper of the beautiful in the handiwork of the Creator, with a brain fitted
to receive impressions swiftly and faithfully and a most remarkable memory able
to retain what he saw and heird and conceived, he was a person of healthful
ideas and a cheerful, generous heart. With his varied talents he was extremely
modest and unassuming, ignoring the opportunities which came to him for poli-
tical preferment, choosing the humbler walks of life, though living in a mental
world many have not attained.
Never marrying he lived with his mother for a long period, making pleasant
with a sincere devotion her declining life. More recently he had made his home
with Mrs. Elizabeth A. Kimball of Manchester, who was an old acquaintance of
the family, and who kindly administered to him in his last illness.
Perhaps in no work he had undertaken did he have the pride and interest
which he had manifested in this history of his native town. It was the great,
absorbing work upon his mind through the last few years of his life, and there is
no doubt that the care and anxiety it incurred tendered to hasten him on
toward that end so near and so inevitable. He had been troubled witli an affec-
VU1 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tion of the heart at intervals for some time and a severe cold taken while attend-
ing the funeral of his cousin, Mrs. Sarah York, on Sunday, April 30, 1893, was
followed by prostration from which he never rallied, and gradually his strength
and consciousness faded away, until at the setting of the sun on Thursday, May
11, in his 78th year, he passed from life into memory. Prayers were held at the
house on the following Sunday, and later in the day funeral services were held
at the Congregational church in Candia, after which his remains were borne to
rest beside those of his parents in the old family lot.
G. W. B.
CONTENTS.
Pages.
CHAPTER I.
SETTLEMENTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
"Capt. Mason's Grant— Sir Henry Roswell's Grant — John Wheelwright's
Deed 17
CHAPTER II.
THE BOUNDARIES.
.New York Controversy — Secession Movement in New Hampshire — The
Northern Boundary 22
CHAPTER III.
SETTLEMENT OF CHESTER.
•Slow Growth of Settlements — First towns settled — Survey of Chester . . . 25
CHAPTER IV.
SETTLEMENT OF CANDIA.
First Settlers — Signers of Petition to Gov. Wentworth — Act of Incorporation 29
CHAPTER V.
TOPOGRAPHY.
Situation of Candia — Geology — Elevations — Mill-streams — Ponds — Villages
— Hamlets and Neighborhoods — Fauna — Flora 34
CHAPTER VI.
CIVIL HISTORY.
First Town-meeting — Deer Inspectors — Hay wards — Mogreeves — Fence
Viewers — Tything Men — Other Town-meetings — Parsonage and School
Lots — Officers elected at Town-meeting in 1764 46
CHAPTER VII.
PRIVATIONS OF THE EARLY SETTLERS.
SLog Cabins— Cutting away the Forests — Building Fences 52:
CHAPTER VIII.
HIRING AND SETTLING MINISTERS.
""The Standing Order of the State" — Carudia's First Minister — Mr. Jewett's
Troubles 54
CHAPTER IX.
THE FIRST MEETING HOUSE AND PARSONAGE.
Work upon the Church — Description of the House — Extracts from the Ac-
count of Cost — The parsonage, etc. — The Province Divided into Counties. 57
CHAPTER X.
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION.
<Causes which led to it — Battles of Lexington and Concord — Battle of Bun-
ker Hill — Names of the Candia Men who were Engaged in it— Candia
-Soldiers at Cambridge in 1775 — Association Tests 65
ix
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
CHAPTER XI.
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION— (CONTINUED.)
Letters to Co I. Emerson from Col. Webster — Battle of Bennington . . . . 75
CHAPTER XII.
WAR OK THE REVOLUTION — (CONTINUED.)
Prices Fixed by the Regulation Act upon "Articles of Life" — Diary Kept
by Lieut. Fitts — Battles of Stillwater and Saratoga— Efforts made toward
Raising Quota of Men — Lieut. Dearborn's Death while trying to
Save a Soldier — Letters from Capt. Dusten to his Wife 80
CHAPTER XIII.
WAR OF THE REVOLUTION — (CONCLUDED.)
List of Candia Soldiers — Heroic Efforts to Support the Cause of Liberty —
Peace Declared
CHAPTER XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Ratification of United States Constitution — List of the Taxpayers in Candia
in 1778 . ioe
CHAPTER XV.
CEMETERIES AND THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD.
The First Cemetery — North Ro id Cemetery — Cemetery on the New Bos-
ton Road — Reynolds' Cemetery— Cemetery at East Candia — First Vil-
lage Cemetery — Cemetery at the Island — New Village Cemetery —
Cemetery at the Corner — Burial of the Deal — Custom of Wearing
Mourning
CHAPTER XVI.
FIRST POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE WAR OF 1812.
Secret Political Societies — Constitution of Washington Benevolent Society
— Bv-Laws — Admission of Members — Meetings — Business — Names of
Members — Warofi8i2 — Drafted Men from Candia 115
CHAPTER XVII.
SCHOOLS.
First School in Candia — Names of Teachers from 1780 to 1S00 — First
School Districts — Names of Teachers 6o to 70 Years ago — First School
Books — State Literary Fund— High Schools 125,.
CHAPTER XVIII.
HISTORY OF THE MILITIA.
The Old Seventeenth Regiment — The Uniformed and Ununiformed Com-
panies— Field Officers — Artillery — Cavalry — Lower Infantry Company —
May Training — Lane Rifles— Vlusters in Candia . 139-
CHAPTER XIX.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Chester Turnpike — The Currency — Tax List of 1800 .... 159
CHAPTER XX.
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
Names of the Candia Soldiers in the War — Action of the Town in Support
of the Union — Names of Drafted Men — War Debt of Candia 166.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. XI
CHAPTER XXI.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY — (CONTINUED.)
Congregational Society and Organization of the First Church — Biographical
Sketches of the Congregational Ministers — Burning of the Meeting House
— The New House — The Old Granary — Dedication — Revivals — Names
of the Pew Owners in the New Congregational Church — Deacons — Funds
of the Society — Sale of the Parsonage Lot — New Parsonage 183
CHAPTER XXII.
FREE WILE BAPTIST AND OTHER SOCIETIES.
First Persons in Candia to Accept the "New Doctrine'' — Union Baptist
Society — First Free Will Baptist Meeting House — Names of the Pastors
of the Church — Funds — The Parsonage — Baptisms — Methodist Society —
Names of the Pastors — The Universalists — Meetings of the Rockingham
Association — Sniritualists — Adventists — South Road Free Will Baptist
Society — The Catholics 215
CHAPTER XXIII.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Free Masonary in Candia — Odd Fellowship — Daughters of Rcbekah — ■
Grand Army of the Republic — Taverns — Libraries — Candii Literary
Society — Stages — Candia Mutual Fire Insurance Company — Tax-
payers in 1810 — Fires — The Railroad 229
CHAPTER XXIV.
INDUSTRIES.
History of the Mills in Town — Farming — Domestic Manufactures — Coop-
ering— Shoe-making — Silk Culture — Wood and Timber — Carriages.
Sleighs, etc. — Tanners — Blacksmiths — Carpenters — Nail Factory — Hat
Manufactory — Saddlers and Harness Makers — Picking and Selling
Blue-berries — Catching Pigeons 249
CHAPTER XXV.
STORES, POST OFFICES, ETC.
History of the Stores Located in Different Parts of the Town — Post Offices
— -Post- Masters — Surplus Revenue — Justices of the Peace — Additional
Notes Pertaining to the Roads — The Census — -Law Suits 282
CHAPTER XXVI.
DEATHS BY SUICIDE, ACCIDENT AND UNDER PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES, AND
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
Tax-Payers in 1820 — Imprisonment for Debt — Remarkable Case of Som-
nambulism— Professional History of Candia — Yankee Dialect — Halls — ■
Pauperism — Tax Payers in 1830 — The Pound — Whipping Post — Wed-
dings— Arrest and Trial of Edmund R. Ingalls for Alleged Embezzlement
• and other Items ... 303
CHAPTER XXVII.
HISTORY OF MUSIC.
Sacred Music — Names of the Male Members of the Congregational Society
Choir from 1770 to 1892 — Names of some of the Female Singers in the
Congregational Choir from 1770 to 1892 — Names of some of the Leaders
— Choirs at the Free- Will Baptist — Names ol some of the Leaders and
Principal Singers at the Free-Will Baptist Church — Choir of the Method-
ist Society — Bands — Teachers of Music — First Melcdeons and Pianos . . 372
46i
Xli HISTORY OF CANDIA.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
PHYSICIANS.
Biographical Sketches of Candia Physicians — Epidemics— Varying Methods
of Practice 38r
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY AND OTHER MATTERS.
Newspapers— Town Fairs— Longevity— Names of those who have lived to
70 years or more— Snakes— Tramps— Phrenology— Celebrations— May
Day— Decoration Day— Marking Soldiers' Graves— Enlarging the Old
Cemetery — The Soldiers' Monument — Reception of Gov. Smyth — Time-
Pieces— Witch-Craft— The Indians— Electric Telegraph— Telephone-
Liberty Poles— Secret Ballot— Asa Fitts's Academy— Debating Clubs-
Spelling Schools— School Examinations— Old Houses— A Quartet of
Lambs— Five Stages of Farming— The Lost Steers— Anecdotes— Camp
Meetings— Lake Massabesic— Wells— The Inventory for April 1, 1891 —
Fashions— Amusements— Sewing Circles— Tea Parties— The Mowing
Machines and other Improvements— Shows— Potato Rot— Colorado Bug
etc.— Other Anecdotes— Climbing the Lightning Rod— Encounter with
the Devil— Amendments to the Constitution— Political Parties— Pensions
to Soldiers — An Aged Colored Woman 391
CHAPTER XXX.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY CONCLUDED.
Progressive Orthodoxy— Foreign Missions — Officers of the Union Baptist
Church
CHAPTFR XXXI.
TOWN OFFICERS.
Representatives to the Provincial Congress at Exeter — Under the New
Constitution — Moderators — Selectmen — Town Clerks — Town Treasurers
—Collectors -uper ntendents of Schools — Deputy Sheriffs— Remarks
about Town Meetings 472
CHAPTER XXXII.
HOMESTEADS AND THEIR OWNERS.
Names of the Owners of Residences Throughout the Town from the Time
the Town was Settled to the Present Date 479
CHAPTER XXXIII.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
Nathaniel Emerson — John Sargeant— Cyrus Sargeant— Abraham Emerson
lohn D. Emerson— Francis Patten— John T. Moore— John Moore-
Family ofEphraim Eaton — Stephen Smyth — Frederick Smyth — Joseph
P. Dudley — Samuel Dudley— Woodbury | Dudley — Francis B. Eaton —
Joseph C. Langford— lohn Brown- -Samuel Morrill — Charles F. Morrill
— James H. Hits— Samuel C. Meane— Aaron G. Whittier— Andrew J.
Edgerley— lacob S. Holt— Frank P. Brow-.— Coffin M. French— Thomas
Lang, Jr.— J. Lane Fitts— George Hall— Philip A. Butler— Albert Pal-
mer I Sam Walter Foss— Caleb Cushing Sargent — J. Rowland Batchelder.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS.
Candia as a Summer Resort— Patrons of Husbandry— Changes in Popu-
lation 522
ILLUSTRATIONS.
J. Bailey Moore Frontispiece
Big Boulder , . Opposite page 17
Abraham Emerson 33
John D. Emerson 49
John Brown °S
Samuel Dudley 81
Francis Patten 97
Stephen Smyth 113
Dorothy Smyth 113
John Moore 129
Mary Moore 129
Coffin M. French 14S
James H. Fitts 161
Joseph C. Langford 177
Congregational Church 183
Old Congregational Church 199
Free Baptist Church 215
Methodist Church 223
Henry M. Eaton 241
George Hall . . . . 257
Samuel Morrill 273
Mianda Morrill 273
Charles F. Morrill . . . : 289
Philip A. Butler 3°5
Aaron G. Whittier 321
John T. Moore 337
]. Lane Fitts 353
Thomas Lang, Jr 369
Andrew J. Edgerly 385
Frank P. Brown 401
Joseph P. Dudley 4*7
Residence of W. J. Dudley 425
Woodbury J. Dudley 433
Jacob S. Holt 449
Map 479
Cyrus Sargeant 497
Frederick Smyth 503
Emma Lane Smyth 503
Francis B. Eaton 509
Samuel C. Beane 513
Albert Palmer 519
Sam Walter Foss 520
xiii
ERRATA.
Had the author lived to complete hi.s task he would have corrected many
errors which unavoidably find way into a work of this nature and for which the
kind indulgence of the reader must now be claimed.
Page 18 — Line 5 of the note at the bottom of the p ige the word "equally"
should be omitted.
23 — Line 15 from the top for "charter'' read charters.
34 — Line seven from the bottom tor "shell contracted" read shell be-
came contracted
38 — Line 17 from the bottom, supply was before the word "stranded."
69 — Line 18 from the bottom read 1775 instead of "1776."
72 — Line 19 read 1775 instead of "1776."
85 — Line 14 from the top for "1770' read 1777; and line 8 for "has"
read have.
102 — Line 20 from the bottom for "candidate" read delegate.
106 — Line 9 from the top for "glazed" read gray.
116 — Line 3 from the bottom tor "preamble" read consti ution and by-
laws, etc.
141 — Line 14 from the bottom for "officers" read captains.
356 — Line 2D from the top for " ]ustice Morgan" read Justin Morgan.
160 — Line 8 from the bottom for "$27.00" read $2700.
193 — Line 19 from the top, for "Rev. Lauren Amsoy" read Rev. Lauren
Armsby.
221 — Line 12 from the bottom, after the word "preacher" add Rev.
Mr. Berry.
222— Line 9 from the bottom, for "administrated" read administered.
255 — Line 11 from the top, for "had to cut" read had to be cut.
357 — Line 4 from the top, for "cast steel" read Castile.
271 — Line 9 from the bottom, tor "Elijah Morrison" read Elbridge
Morrison.
275 — Line 9 from the bottom, insert the word church after Free Baptist.
389 — Line 10 from the top, for "his" read their.
392 — Line 12 from the bottom, for "Nathaniel" read Nathan.
401 — Last line, omit "Dr." before Joseph Foster.
403— Line 19 from top, supply "Mrs." before Reuben Fitts.
439 — Line 12 from the bottom, for "was" read were.
400 — Under date 1808, for "David Beane" read Mrs. David Beane;
1812, for "Jethro Hill, 70," read Jonathan Hills, go."
401 — Under date of 1838, for "80" read 84 as the age of Mrs. John
Sargeant; 1835, for "80" read 84, as the age of Moses Buswell.
402 — Under date of 1841, as the age of Mrs. Samuel Worthen, for "74"
read 76 ; 1842, as the age of Mrs. Samuel Colcord, for "80" read
84 ; 1845, as the age of Mrs. Amos Knowles, for "80" read 86 ;
1848. as the age of Nathaniel Emerson, for "70" read 76.
403 — Under date of 1849, as the age of Benjamin Smith, 2d, for "78"
read 81 ; 1854, as the age of Mrs. Silas Cammett, for "67" read
99 years and 6 months ; as the age of Mrs. Reuben Fitts, for "76"
read 85 ; 1857, as the age of Mrs. Jonathan Martin, for "70"
read 79.
404 — Under date of 1859, as tne age of Mrs. Josiah French, for "76" read
70 ; 1862, as the age of John Dolber, for "82" read 89 ; 1867, as
the age of Mrs. John Prescott, for "93" read 73 ; 1868, as the
age of Mary Dudley, for "79" read 85.
406 — Under the date of 1878, as the age of John Clay, for "78" read 81;
as the age of Mrs. Silden Moore, for "77" read 71 ; as the age of
Benjamin Sawyer, for "71" read 7/; 1881, for "Mrs. Young"
read Mrs. Lucy Young.
xiv
ADDENDA.
AGED PERSONS.
The following are the names of persons who have died in the
town above seventy years of age, in addition to those given in
Chapter XIX :
1803, Dorothy, wife of Thomas Worthen ; 1812, Jonathan
Hills, 90 ; 1816, Joshua Moore, 73 ; 1818, Dea. John Hills, 80;
1822, Mrs. Caleb Hall, 77 ; 1823, Samuel Adams, 74 ; 1828,
William Wilson, 84 ; 1832, Sarah, wife of Col. Thomas Wilson,
77 ; 1S33, Mrs. James Eaton, 98 ; 1834, Benjamin Hubbard,
Sr., 88; Joseph Pillsbury, 92 ; 1835, Stephen Clay, 71 ; 1836,
Mrs. John Cammet, 83, Dorothy Fitts, 73 ; 1841, Thomas
Anderson, 2d, 79^; 1842, Thomas Patten, 2d, 85, Mrs. Nathan
Thorn 82 ; 1843, Mrs. Timothy M. Pearsons, 85 ; 1846, Mrs.
Ephraim Abbott, 93 ; 1847, Edward Prescott, 77 ; 1848, Mrs.
Joseph Abbott, 70 ; 1850, Samuel A. Anderson, 78 ; 185 1,
Elisha Huntoon, 80, Nathan Thorn, 91 ; 1852, Henry Clark,
2d., 74, Robert Patten, 76 ; 1854, Mrs. Thomas Anderson, 2d,
79 ; 1858, Mary, wife of Samuel Anderson, 71 ; 1862, Josiali
French, 76 ; 1865, Mrs. Lewis Worthen, 75 ■ 1867, Mrs. Eben
Eaton, 72 ; 1868, Mrs. Theophilus Currier, 90, Eliza, wife of
Moses Emerson, 2d. 77 ; 1869, Mrs. Jesse Eaton, 82 ; 187 1,
Sally Adams, 87, Mrs. Joseph Palmer, 73 ; 1872, Mrs. Asbury
Buzzell, 70, Miss Nancy Brown, 81, Mrs. Jeremiah Barker,
78, Ann, wife of John C Fifield, 88, Eliza, wife of Francis
Watson, 71, Lewis Worthen, 82, Peter Neal, 79 ; 1873,
Charles Smith, 79 ; 1874, Mrs. Josiah Fitts, 83, Polly, wife of
Thomas Hobbs, 79 ; 1875, Mrs. Moses Critchett, 77, John P.
Smith, 84 ; 1876, John Fitts, 82, Jeremiah Lane, 77, Levi
Barker, 75 ; 1877, Mrs. Ephraim Davis, 70 ; 1878, John Clay,
3d, 81, Joshua Fitts, 78 ; 1879, Willis Patten, 86, Rufus Patten,
7 1, John Page, 75 ; 1875, William Anderson, 89, Miss Jane,
daughter of Samuel Anderson, 80 ; 1880, Nathaniel B. Hall,
75-
So far as it appears by the records no person who has died
n town had reached the age of one hundred years.
xv
XV HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ADDITIONAL NAMES OF REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS.
In summing up-the names of the Revolutionary soldiers of
Candia on pages 95, 96 and 97 the following were accidentally
omitted.
Moses Norris, Jonathan Clifford, Jonathan Ring, John
Sargeant, Stephen Palmer, Daniel Whittier, Ichabod Robie.
Benjamin Smith, James Libbey, Joseph Pillsbury, Amos,
Knowles and Benjamin Wadleigh.
OTHER STORES.
John Moore, Esq., and Daniel Taylor, his brother-in-law,,
established a store at the village about the year 1822, in the
east end of the Dudley tenement block near the saw mill. In
1824, they were succeeded by William Turner, who traded
about three years there.
In 1825, Samuel Dudley establishes a store in connection
with his shoe business in a building on the spot where his son,
Woodbury J., has traded many years.
In 1844, Nehemiah Colby opened a store in a building which
stood on the east side of the main street near the residence of
the late Benjamin Taylor.
In 1856, a union store was started by a number of citizens in
the building on the west side of the street and recently owned
and occupied by the late J. Rowland Batchelder, and which is
now utilized as a shoe shop by Nelson Plumer. The stock of
the union store was finally bought by W. Sanborn, who had
been its agent, and who traded on his own account until 1857,
when he commenced to trade in the building on the east side
now owned by George E. Kimball. He traded there for ten
years, and then sold out to A. A. Whittredge. In 1885, Geo.
E. Mitchell bought the stock and traded until 1889, when he
sold to Mr. Kimball who opened a meat market.
In 1879, Cyrus T. Lane opened a grocery store in the build-
ing which stands near the corner of Main street and the road
which leads to the lower saw mill.
Nearly twenty years ago J. Meader Young opened a watch
and jewelry store in the building near the bridge on the east
side of the main street. Mr. Young left town in 1886.
VIEW b'ROM HIGH STREET EOOKING NORTHEAST.
GREAT BOULDER. Sketch, page 38.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
CHAPTER I.
SETTLEMENT OF NEW HAMPSHIEE.
Christopher Columbus discovered the island of San Salva-
dor, one of the Bahama group, October 12, 1492; but he did
not come within sight of the American continent until 1498,
during his third voyage from Spain.
John Cabot, of England, and his son, Sebastian Cabot,
discovered the American continent at Labrador, June 24,
1497, fourteen months before Columbus reached the main
land.*
In 1605, more than one hundred years after the first Eu-
ropean adventurers visited the new world, Martin Pring,
an Englishman, sailed up the Piscataqua river and landed
at Odiorne's Point in Rye and was thus the first white man
to tread the soil of New Hampshire.
In 162c, King James I., of England, granted to an associ_
ation composed of dukes, earls and other prominent gen_
tlemen of England all the territory in North America lying
between the fortieth and forty-eighth degrees of north lati-
tude. This association was called "The Council at Ply-
mouth for planting and governing New England in America. ''
Fernando Gorges was President and Captain John Mason
was Secretary.
In 1620, Captain Mason obtained from the Plymouth
Council a grant of all the land from the river Naumkeag near
Salem, Mass., to the Merrimack river and up the heads of
each of those rivers, then to cross over from the head of
*It has been claimed by the historians of Iceland that in about the
year 1000 and later, vessels were fitted out on that island and voy-
ages were made to the American continent by a company of Northmen,
originally from Norway, under the command of Leif Erikson; that a
landing was made at some point on the coast of what is now New
England where a settlement called Vinland was established; that the
colony was re-einforced from time to time by other immigrants from
1 8 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
one to the head of the other. This grant which was called
Marianna was made in the belief that the Naumkeag river
was a large stream; whereas it is only about twelve miles
in length and the territory granted was not so large as
Rockingham County.
In 1622, Mason and Fernando Gorges obtained from the
Plymouth Council a grant of land lying between the Merri-
mack river and the Kennebec in Maine and extending back
to the great lakes and rivers in Canada. This grant was
called Laconia. '
In 1623, David Thompson, of Plymouth, England, with
his wife and four men, arrived at the mouth of the Piscata-
qua river. Thompson, who was the first white settler in
New Hampshire, established himself at Odiorne's Point,
sometimes called Little Harbor. He built a cabin, planted
a few acres, set up salt works and made preparations to en-
gfag-'e in the fur trade. At about the same time Edward and
William Hilton, brothers, who came from England, ob-
tained a grant of land from the Plymouth Council and
formed a settlement at Dover Point.
In 1626, Thompson left his plantation and went to reside
on Thompson's Island, in Boston Bay, which was granted
to him by the Council of New England. Great hopes were
entertained by the early colonists that there were rich
Iceland and that the people were engaged in lumbering, fishing and in
cultivating the soil; that an extensive trade grew up between the col-
ony and Iceland, the colonists receiving their necessary supplies in ex-
change for their fish, valuable lumber called masar wood and other
products; that the settlement equally flourished for two or three cen-
turies when it began to languish and at last, about the year 1300 the
country was abandoned andTthe survivors returned to Iceland ; that in
the course of years this story was almost totally forgotten and that fi-
nally some records which were left by several leaders in the enterprise
were discovered and published to the world.
Bancroft and various other historians have denied this story
while a few others, among whom were Alexander Von Humboldt, the
great German scientist and philosopher who believed that there was
satisfactory evidence of its truth. In his Cosmos Humboldv refers to
a letter written by Columbus in which it is stated that he visited Ice-
land a short time before he set out on his first voyage of discovery
from Spain. .
E. N. Horsford, a distinguished Professor in Harvard University, has
recently made the startling announcement that he has discovered on
the banks of the Charles river in Watertown and other towns in the
vicinity of Boston the site of the settlement of Vinland and the an-
cient city of Norumbega and the l-emains of forts, canals, boom-dams,
artificial ponds, amphitheatres, wharves, storehouses, dwellings, and
various other remains of the works of a highly civilized race of people.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 9
mines of gold and silver in the territory similar to those
which were found by the Spaniards in Mexico and Peru.
In 1627, Sir Henry Ros well in behalf of the Massachusetts
Bay Company obtained from the Plymouth Council a grant
of land from the mouth of Charles river and a line running
from the Atlantic ocean three miles north of the Merrimack
river.
In 1629, Captain Mason obtained from the Plymouth
Council a grant of land from the middle of Piscataqua to its
head, thence forward sixty miles and through the Mer-
rimack river to its farthest head, and thence westward sixty
miles, then to cross overland to the end of the sixty miles
as counted from the Piscataqua river. Mason called this
grant New Hampshire, after the County of Hampshire in
England.
The grants to Mason and those to Ros well for the Massa-
chusetts Bay Company were in direct conflict with each
other and were made in complete ignorance of the geog-
raphy of the country on the part of the grantors and grant-
ees. It was believed that the Merrimack river ran from
west to east throughout its whole course, whereas it runs
from north to south from its source to Pawtucket Falls near
Lowell where it makes a bend towards the east and runs in
that direction to the sea, a distance of less than thirty miles.
On account of these blunders a great dispute arose which
continued more than one hundred and fifty years.
In 1634, Gorges sold his right to lands in New Hampshire
to Mason, and the latter then made important improve-
ments upon his settlements near the mouth of the Piscata-
qua river. He sent out a company of men and women
with cattle, swine and stores of all kinds. More land was
cleared, salt works were erected and the business of fishing
was pursued with vigor.
It has been claimed that Rev. John Wheelwright, the
founder of Exeter, bought of Passaconaway, an Indian chief,
a large tract of land which is now included in Rockingham
County. The genuineness of the deed has been disputed
by some historians and accepted by others. Wheelwright
never profited much by the deed and but little attention was
ever paid to it. In 1719, the colony of Scotch-Irish which
20 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
settled Londonderry got a deed of that township of Rev.
John Wheelwright, of Wells, Maine, the grandson of the
first Rev. John Wheelwright.
Mason died suddenly, in 1635, leaving his property to his
grandson, Robert Tufton, then a hoy, on condition that he
would take the name of Mason. Mason"s widow, as exec-
utrix of his will, tried to manage his estate in the colony,
but she utterly failed. Some of the men who had been em-
ployed by Mason took possession of much of his personal
property, and many of the tenants refused to pay rents or
to surrender the lands which they occupied.
Soon after Mason's death the Massachusetts Bay Compa-
ny succeeded in bringing the colonists in New Hampshire
under their government and, in 1641, the General Court de-
creed that the northern line of the Massachusetts Bay Com-
pany's territory extended to the Piscataqua river.
In 1652, a committee of the Massachusetts legislature
found that the head of the Merrimack river was at the out-
let of Lake Winnepesaukee and Massachusetts then claimed
that a line from a point three miles north of the head of the
river to a point on the east bank of the Piscataqua river in
the same latitude was the northern boundary of the grant
from the Plymouth to the Massachusetts Bay Company.
In 1650, Robert Tufton Mason, on coming of age, under-
took to get possession of his estates by appealing to the
King; but on account of the civil wars he obtained no re-
dress until 1664, when the Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench decided that his title was strictly legal; whereupon
Massachusetts abandoned its claim to the territory occu-
pied by the colonists at the mouth of the Piscataqua river,
and New Hampshire soon afterwards had a separate gov-
ernment.
In 1680, Robert Tufton Mason came from England and
attempted to enforce his claim to the property left him by
his grandfather, Captain Mason; but the colonists refused
to pay back rents, to take new leases or to surrender the
lands which they occupied. Mason met with so much op-
position that he was obliged to return to England. In a
short time afterwards he gave Edward Cranfield an impor-
tant interest in his claims and secured his appointment as
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2 1
Lieutenant Governor of the province. Through Cranfield's
influence judges, sheriffs and other public officers were ap-
pointed, and many suits were brought against the tenants
who occupied Mason's lands. ' By bribing the jury, verdicts
against the defendants were returned; but the people were
so indignant and united that they made it impossible for the'
sheriffs and other officers to compel the tenants either to pay
for their lands or to surrender them to Mason.
Robert Mason died in 1691, leaving his property to his
sons, Robert Tufton Mason and John Tufton Mason. These
heirs soon sold their claims to Samuel Allen, who made a
great effort to recover possessions of the lands but he ac-
complished nothing.' He died in 1705 leaving his son,
Thomas Allen, and two daughters, heirs to his claims.
These heirs were not able to agree, and made no attempts
to recover possession of their property.
In 1746, John Tufton Mason, a son of John Tufton Mason,
senior, by his second wife, made a claim to the lands in New
Hampshire granted to Captain John Mason on the ground
that his father and uncle Robert had no legal right to sell
the property to Allen for a longer term than their own lives.
This John Tufton Mason entered into some negotiations for
a sale of the property to the province of New Hampshire;
but the parties who were acting for the province delayed to
come to a decision and Mason finally sold his claims to a
company of twelve prominent citizens of Portsmouth for
1500 pounds sterling. This company, somtimes called
the Lord's Proprietors, granted many new towns on liberal
terms and claimed nothing from the towns which were al-
ready settled and incorporated. They gave quit claim
deeds to seventeen old townships east of the Merrimack
river, which had been granted without consultation with the
heirs of Captain Mason.
At the breaking out of the Revolutionary war about all
of the land claimed by Mason had been disposed of and
after the colonists had gained their independence all the un-
wanted land belonged to the State of New Hampshire. The
state from time to time made various grants of lands for
townships and also for various institutions of learning.
CHAPTER II.
THE BOUNDARIES.
For more than fifty years the people of New Hampshire
had endeavored to bring- about a settlement of the bounda-
ry lines between their territory and that of Massachusetts.
During- all that time Massachusetts had evaded the issue or
sought for delays on all sorts of pretexts. The matter was
brought before the king in 1747. He decided that the ques-
tion should be referred to eight commissioners who be-
longed to some of the other American provinces. Eight
commissioners were, appointed three of whom belonged in
Nova Scotia and five in Rhode Island. They met at Hamp-
ton and decided the eastern boundary should begin three
miles north of the mouth of the Merrimack river, thence
along the coast and including one-half of the Isle of Shoals
to the mouth of Piscataqua river, then up the middle of the
river to its head and thence sixty miles north ten degrees
west. As they were not able to agree upon the southern
boundary the matter was then referred to the King. He as-
sumed that when the first charters of lands were given by
the Plymouth Company all parties supposed that the source
of the Merrimack was in the west and he decided that the
northern boundary of Massachusetts should be a curved
line conforming to the course of the river three miles dis-
tance from its north bank to Pawtucket Falls, in Dracut.
thence due west to his majesty's other governments. In
Surveying the line, it is said that the surveyor purposely
allowed ten degrees for the variation of the needle instead
of six degrees and forty minutes as he should have done.
The King also decided that the east boundary of New
Hampshire, as agreed upon by the commissioners, should
extend to Canada to conform to the west boundary
of Maine.
After the Lord's Proprietors had purchased the claims to
the unoccupied lands belonging to the Mason heirs they
made many grants of townships, and it is probable that
HISTORY OF CAXDIA. 2$
this investment proved to be a good speculation. The
grant to Mason included only about one-sixth of the terri-
tory of the State as it stands to-day.
THE NEW YORK CONTROVERSY.
Previous to the Revolution both New York and New
Hampshire claimed what now constitutes the State of Ver-
mont. New Hampshire's claim was based on the fact that
by the charter of Massachusetts, which was given before
the charter of New York was given to the duke of York, its
western boundary extended within twenty miles of the
Hudson river, and that the western boundary line of
Connecticut also extended to that point. New York resisted
the claim; but Benning Wentworth, who was then the
provincial Governor of New Hampshire, insisted and granted
charter for one hundred and forty townships of six miles
square each. These were called the New Hampshire
grants. Both parties finally appealed to King George II.,
and he decided that the east line of New York should be the
west bank of the Connecticut river.
In 1776, the people of this territory, in convention, de-
clared that the territory should thereafter be an independ-
ent jurisdiction by the name of Vermont.
THE SECESSION MOVEMENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
In 1 78 1, five years after the people of Vermont had
declared their independence, a majority of the people
who resided in thirty-four of the towns in New Hampshire
near the Connecticut voted to form a union with that
State. The legislature of Vermont voted to receive
the representatives of the New Hampshire townships, and
the act of union was consummated. The seceding towns
were formed into counties by the Vermont authorities, new
courts were established, taxes were levied, and the laws of
New Hampshire were set at defiance. This movement
caused great excitement among the people of the Confeder-
ation, who at the time were battling: with Great Britain in
defence of their liberties. The people of Vermont were anx-
ious to come into union with the thirteen colonies, but they
soon discovered that such a union was impossible unless
they relinquished their hold upon New Hampshire. Gener-
24 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
al Washing-ton wrote a letter to the Governor of Vermont
advising the people to give up the attempt to enlarge their
boundaries by encroaching upon the rights of. New Hampshire
and intimated that force would be employed against them
in case they refused to comply with his advice. The letter
had the desired effect. The Vermont legislature resolved
that the Connecticut river should thenceforth be the east
boundary line of that state and the New Hampshire seces-
sionists took their hats in their hands, and like certain se-
cessionists of a later day returned to their homes sadder if
not wiser m^n.
THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY.
At the close of the war of the Revolution in 1783 the
treaty of peace which was agreed to by the contending pow-
ers provided that the boundary line between New Hamp-
shire and Canada would be from the northwest angle of
Nova Scotia along the highlands dividing those rivers which
empty into the St. Lawrence river and those running into
the Atlantic ocean to the northwestern head of Connecticut
river: thence down along the middle of that river to the
forty-fifth degree of north latitude.
In running: the line the outlet of Lake Connecticut was
considered the north-western head of Connecticut river, and
the boundary was established in accordance with that view.
In 1823, another and a more careful survey showed that
Hall's Stream, another tributary to the Connecticut river,
had its source in the highlands several miles farther west
than the outlet of Connecticut lake.
In 1842, when the great northeast boundary question was
settled at Washington by Webster and Lord Ashburton, the
boundary line was extended west to Hall's stream and New
Hampshire gained territory sufficient for three good-sized
townships.
CHAPTER III.
SETTLEMENT OF CHE.J-TER.
For many years the growth of the settlements in New
Hampshire was exceedingly slow on account mainly of the
great wars between the English colonists throughout New
England and the Indians, which began in 1675 and raged
with greater or less violence until 1698. Portsmouth, Dov-
er, Hampton and Exeter, the four original plantations, con-
tinued for a long time to be the centres of population and
trade. Hostilities were at length suspended and colonies be-
gan to go forth from the old towns and settlements were
made upon the unoccupied lands in their immediate vicini-
ty. Among the towns which were settled next to Ports-
mouth. Dover, Hampton and Exeter, were Northampton,
Southampton, Hampton Falls, Seabrook, Stratham, Kings-
ton, Epping, Poplin now Freemont, Brentwood and New
Market; but the western portion of Rockingham county
remained an unbroken wilderness about one hundred
years from the first time the settlements were made upon the
banks of the Piscataqua river.
Near the close of the iirst quarter of the eighteenth centu-
ry the settlements near the sea coast had so increased that
there was a considerable demand for more territory for
townships for the accommodation of people who were
anxious to provide themselves with farms. At this time a
large number of companies were organized in some of the
oldest towns in New Hampshire and Massachusetts for the
purpose of securing grants of lands in the province for set-
tlement, as was alleged, but more frequently for the pur-
pose of speculation on the part of those most directly con-
cerned in the enterprises.
In 1719, a company was organized at Hampton for the
purpose of securing a grant of territory lying between Exe-
ter and the Merrimack river. The members of the compa-
ny, more than one hundred in number, belonged mostly to
Portsmouth and Hampton; but a few were residents of Ha-
26
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
verhill, Bradford and Newbury in Massachusetts. In 1719,
the company presented a petition to His Excellency Samu-
el Shute, then the Provincial Governor of New Hampshire,
for a township of land ten miles square, situated between
Exeter and Merrimack river. The territory was surveyed
and a township was laid out by a committee of four persons
appointed by the Governor. Upon May 8, 1723, Governor
Shute gave the association a charter for a township, bounded
on the north by Nottingham, now Deerfield and Notting-
ham, east by Exeter, now Kingston and Epping, south by
Londonderry and west by Merrimack river and Harry town,
now a small part of the city of Manchester. The territory,
which was of irregular shape, was fourteen miles in length
in the longest part and ten miles in its greatest width, was at
first called the Chestnut country from the circumstance that
chestnut trees were found in abundance upon the soil; but
when it was incorporated it was named Chester after old
Chester, in England. The charter provided that one
proprietor's share should be reserved for a parsonage, one
for the first settled minister an 1 a third for the support of
public schools.
One class of the original proprietors consisted of the Gov-
ernor and members of the Council. The others could well
afford to give the Governor and the members of his Coun-
cil a liberal share in the enterprise for their good-will, besides
allowing them very heavy fees for other services which
they rendered. Some idea in regard to the amount of the
fees paid to Governor Shute and the members of his Coun-
cil may be obtained from a statement of the amount of fees
which were paid to Lieutenant Governor Colden, who was
acting Governor of New York, in 1764, when Vermont was
claimed as a part of that province. It is said that he re-
ceived the sum of $31.25 for every thousand acres in the
towns to which he gave charters in Vermont at that time,
amounting to about S500 for a township six miles square.
The total amount of fees paid to the governor, secretary,
attorney general, surveyor general and clerk, amounted to
$2,300. It is fair to presume that Governor Shute was
willing to receive the same fees which were allowed to the
other royal governors. While he was governor of New
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 27
Hampshire he gave many charters to towns besides Chest-
er, among which were Nottingham, Rochester, Bow, Barn-
stead, and no doubt he received heavy fees and a farm of
five hundred acres in each of those towns.
When Chester was surveyed, in 1 719, the proprietors
laid out one hundred and fifty lots of twenty acres each in
the southeast part of the territory which was granted to
them. These lots, which were called Home lots, were in
close proximity to each other, so the settlers could unite
readily for defence against the Indians. They also laid out
a large number of lots of fifty acres each for farms. These
lots were situated as near as possible to the Home lots.
The next division of lots was made in what is now Ray-
mond. These lots contained one hundred acres each and
this division was called Old Hundred.
The next division was called the Second Part -of the Sec-
ond Division. A part of these lots were situated in the ex-
treme south part of Candia.
The next was called the Third Division. These were all
situated in Candia and contained eighty acres each.
The next was called the Fourth Division and the lots were
situated partly in Auburn, but mostly in Manchester and
Hooksett.
The Fifth Division of lots consisted of lands situated be-
tween the Fourth Division and Allens#town line. The last,
or Sixth Division, which was made in 1772, consisted of
tracts of undivided land and supernumerary lots in the oth-
er divisions of the town. Thus it will be seen that there
were eight divisions in all, viz: 1st, The Home lots, 2nd,
The Additional lots, 3d, Old Hundred, now Raymond, 4th,
Second Part of Second Division, 5th, The Third Division
now Candia, 6th, The Fourth Division, so called, 7th, The
Fifth Division, 8th, The Sixth Division. Each proprietor
had eight lots amounting in all to upwards of four hundred
acres. The lots were distributed among the proprietors by
a sort of lottery. Some of the proprietors had good luck
by drawing good land, while others drew some land that
was swampy or very rocky and unfit for cultivation. None
of the original proprietors ever settled in Candia and it is
probable that very few ever visited the town.
28
HISTORY OK CANDIA.
In 1 7 5 1 , the south-western part of old Chester was set off
to form with a part of Londonderry, and a small tract of
ungranted land the tcwn of Derryfield. The name of the
town was changed to Manchester in iSio.
The northeastern part of the old town was made a sep-
arate township called Raymond, in 1764.
In 1822, the northwestern part of old Chester was united
with a part of Bow and Dunbarton and incorporated as the
town of Hooksett.
That part of the old town, which is situated on the east of
the present city of Manchester and includes more than one-
half of Lake Massabesic, was made a separate township
named Auburn, in 1845.
CHAPTER IV.
SETTLEMENT OF CANDIA.
The question as to who was the first settler in Candia has
not hitherto been positively determined. Mr. Eaton, in his
history of the town, stated that David McClure bought the
western half of lot No. 30 in Second Part of Second Division
lying in Candia, in 1743, and gave it as his opinion that he,
McClure, was the first settler in the town. On the other
hand Benjamin Chase, in his history of old Chester, states
that Mr. McClure on May 17, 1744, bought the western half
of lot No. 17, Second Part of Second Division lying in Chest-
er and built a house, and that, in 1749- he left that lot and
bought lot No. 30 in Second Part of Second Division situat-
ed in Candia, and built a log house.
Mr. Chase also states that William Turner, previous to
1742, bought the northeastern end of lot No. 9, of additional
lots in Chester, and that in 1741 he bought lot No. 35 Third
Division in Candia. Now, if McClure sold his lot in Chest-
er and bought another in Candia eight years after Turner
purchased his lot in the Third Division the latter was
probably the first settler.
Among those who came, at a very early period in the his-
tory of Candia were Benjamin Smith, who came in 1749 and
settled on lot 73 3d division, Thomas Anderson, who came
in 1 751 and settled on lot 132 2nd part of 2nd division, Win-
throp Wells, who settled on lot 36 3d division, in 1750, Da-
vid Bean, who settled on lot. 78 3d division, Enoch Colby,
who settled on lot 89 3d division, in 1750, Samuel Mooers,
who settled on lot 69 3d division, in 1756, Robert Patten,
who bought lot 30, 2nd part 2nd division, in 1 74 1, Enoch
Rowell, who was the first settler at the Corner on lot 87 3d
division, Jacob Sargent, who was the first settler on lot 130
3d division, Mathew Ramsey, who was the first settler on lot
116 3d division, Benjamin Hills, who was the first settler on
lot 94 3d division, Col. Nathaniel Emerson, who settled on
the lot where John Cate resides. Moses Emerson, who was
30 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the first settler on lot 65 2nd part of 2nd di'vsion, Nathaniel
Burpee, who settled on lot 36 in 3d division, in 1753, Caleb
Brown, who came to town in 1762, Benjamin Cass,
who settled on lot 95 3d division, Thomas Critchett, who was
the first settler on lot 62 3d division, Ichabod Robie, who
was the first settler on lot 61 3d division, Walter Robie, who
was the first settler on lot 1 1 y 2nd part 2nd division, Asahel
Quimby, who was the first to settle on lot 114 2nd part 2nd
division, Dr. Coffin Moore, who settled on lot 51 2nd part
2nd division, in 1760.
At a later date, and previous to 1763, the following named
citizens settled in the town: Samuel Towle, Theophilus
Clough, Moses Baker, Jeremiah Bean, Zebedee Berry, Phin-
ehas Towle, Abraham Fitts, Stephen Palmer, John Sargent,
Stephen Fifield, Sherburne Rowe, Isaiah Rowe, Theophilus
Sargent, Benjamin Batchelder, Henry Clark, John Robie,
John Carr, Samuel Buswell, Nicholas French, and ]onh
Hills.
Candia, previous to 1763, was sometimes called the North
Parish of Chester and sometimes Charming Fare from the
circumstance, as it is said, that some Chester men, who
were among the first to visit the locality, killed and roasted
a deer, and while eating the venison some one of the party
exclaimed : " This is charming fare ! ' All agreed that the
feast was indeed charming fare. The exclamation became
a by-word among the people, and it was suggested that it
would be a good name for the territory.
The most Of the people of Candia lived at a distance of
from seven to fifteen miles from the meeting house and the
business part of old Chester, and it was a great burden for
them to be obliged to travel on foot or on horseback over
bad roads to go to town meetings, and to attend church.
There were no mills or stores in the parish at that time, ami
on this account the people were subjected to much inconve-
nience. Under these circumstances they were anxious to
be set off into an independent town; and so in 1761, they
caused the following article to be inserted in their warrant for
the annual town meeting: "To see if the town will vote
that the North Parish shall be set off by the authority as set
forth in a petitionto the selectmen by Messrs. Jethro Batchel-
HISTORY OF CAXDIA.
31
iler, Daniel Lane, Benjamin Smith and others. " The arti-
cle was voted down at the time, but the next year it was
passed by a large majority.
In 1763, thirty-eight of the citizens in the town signed a
petition to Benning Wentworth, the Provincial Governor,
and his council, praying that they might be incorporated in-
to a parish and invested with all the privileges enjoyed by
other parishes in the province. The following are the names
of the signers of the petition :
Benjamin Batchelder,
Samuel Mooers,
William Turner,
Winthrop Wells,
Jonathan Hills.
Samuel Towle,
Nicholas Smith.
Jonathan Towle,
Nathaniel Ingalls,
Theophilus Clough,
John Carr,
Thomas Critchett,
Samuel Eastman.
John Clay,
Moses Baker,
Theophilus Sargent.
Stephen Webster,
Joseph Smith,
Elisha Bean,
Jeremiah Bean,
Zebedee Berry,
Phinehas Towle,
Abraham Fitts,
Sherburne Rowe,
Asahel Quimby,
Oilman Dudley,
Zachariah" Clifford,
Enoch Colby,
Moses Smart,
Nathaniel Emerson,
Jonathan Bean,
John Sargent,
Benjamin Smith,
James McClure,
Stephen Palmer,
Jacob Sargent,
Ichabod Robie,
David Hills.
The petition was read in the House of Representatives on
June 2, 1763, and it was ordered that the petitioners be heard
thereon on the first day of the succeeding August and that
they cause the substance of the petition and the order of the
court therein to be published in the New Hampshire Gazette
three weeks successively, that all persons may appear and
those learn, if any, why the prayer thereof should not be
granted.
Upon December 2, 1763, the petition was read in the
House of Representatives and it was A'oted that the prayer
thereof be granted.
On the same day the petition was read and concurred in
32 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
by the council. The following is a copy of the act incor-
porating the town ofCandia:
Anno Regni Georgii Tertii Magnce Brittannice Francice et
Hibernice Quarto.
~ ~ An Act for Erecting and Incorporating a New Parish
in the North Westerly part of the Town of Chester
in this Province.
Whereas a petition has been exhibited to the general as-
sembly by a number of the inhabitants of Chester aforesaid
setting forth, that it would be very convenient for them to
be incorporated into a new parish as they lived a consider-
able distance from the parish in said town to which they
belonged and there was a number in the same situation
sufficient to make a new parish to which the town had con-
sented of which due notice having been given and no ob-
jections made ; and the petitioners praying to be so incor-
porated by the bounds and limits agreed to by the town —
It is therefore Enacted by the Governor, Council and As-
sembly that there be and thereby is a new parish erected
and incorporated in the town of Chester by the following
boundaries, viz. : Beginning at the northeast corner of said
parish on the line of the township of Nottingham at a hem-
lock tree at the head of the old Hundred acre lots, then runs
south twenty-nine degrees west joining to said lots as they
are entered on the proprietors records about four miles to a
stake and stones, then west north west to a maple tree be-
ing the north east bounds of the lot number forty-three in
the second part of the second division, and continuing the
same course by towerhill pond to a stake and stones what
completes five miles and a half upon this course, then
.north twenty-nine degrees east to a pitch pine which is the
south west boundary of the eighty acre lot in the third di-
vision number one hundred twenty-three, then north twen-
ty-nine degrees east to Nottingham line and then on that
line to the hemlock tree first mentioned. And all the inhab-
itants dwelling or that shall dwell within the said bounda-
ries, and their estates are hereby made a parish by the
name of CANDIA and erected into a body politic and cor-
porate to have continuance and succession forever, and
AliKAIIAM EMERSON.
Sketch, page 499.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. $$
are hereby invested with all the powers and enfranchised
with all the privileges of any other parish within this pro-
vince and are chargeable with the duty of maintaining the
poor that do or shall inhabit within said parish. Repairing
all highways within the same; and maintaining and sup-
porting the Ministry and preaching the Gospel, with full
power to manage and transact all Parochial affairs as fully
to all intents and purposes as any parish in said province
may legally do.
And the said inhabitants are hereby exonerated from pay-
ing any taxes that shall hereafter be assessed in the said
town, with regard to the support of the matters and things
aforesaid, but shall continue to pay their province tax in
the same manner as before the passing of this act until a
new proportion thereof shall be made among the several
towns and parishes within the same.
And SAMUEL EMERSON, Esq., is hereby appointed and
authorized to call the first meeting of said inhabitants giv-
ing fourteen days. public notice of the time place and design
of the meeting. And they the said inhabitants at such
meetings are authorized to choose all necessary parish offi-
cers as at the annual meetings is done in other parishes
and such officers shall hereby be invested with the same
power of other parish officers in this province.
province of / In the House of Representatives,
NEW HAMPSHIRE. t Dec. 1 6th, I 763.
This Petition having been read three times —
Voted, That it Pass to be Enacted.
H. SHERBURNE, Speaker.
In Council, Dec. 17th, 1763.
This Bill read a third time and passed to be Enacted.
T. ATKINSON, Jun., Secretary.
Consented to.
B. WENTWORTH.
3
CHAPTER V.
TOPOGRAPHY.
Candia is situated in Rockingham County in the State of
New Hampshire. It is in 43 degrees 8 minutes north lati-
tude, in 71 degrees and 18 minutes west longitude from
Greenwich.
The town is bounded north by Deerfield, east by Ray-
mond, south by Chester and Auburn, and west by Hooksett.
It is ten miles northeast from Manchester, eighteen miles,
southeast from Concord, the capital of the state, thirty-one
miles west from Portsmouth, fifty-five miles from Boston,
two hundred and fifty-six miles from New York and five
hundred and eight miles from the city of Washington.
The geographical center of the town is on the old William
Duncan place, South Road, now owned by George Brown.
The exact spot is within a few rods of Mr. Brown's resi-
dence.
Its area is above 17,744 acres, or more than 27 square
miles.
GEOLOGY.
The majority of the most eminent geologists agree to the
following propositions: That the earth was once a mass of
molten matter and that, while whirling in its orbit around
the sun, its surface became gradually cooled, until at last it
became a granite crust.or shell, and covered the earth as an
egg is covered by its shell; that this shell, which was thin
at first, became thicker and thicker as the process of cool-
ing went on, until now it is supposed to be from forty to
sixty miles from the surface down to the liquid mass of
heated matter below; that as the earth cooled its shell con-
tracted and wrinkled, like the skin ofabaked apple, causing
great elevations in some places and depressions in
others, and the elevations became mountains while the de-
pressions became the valleys and the great beds of the
ocean ; that there have been many of these great convul-
sions upon the earth and that its surface has been tilted up
34
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 35
at various times; that whole Continents have been slowly
raised from the depths of the ocean in one part of the globe
while vast territories of dry land have been submerged in
others; that each of the great changes in the structure of
the surface of the globe has been followed by another which
was better adapted to the development of higher and still
higher orders of organic life, until at last man, rudimenta-
ry, savage man, at first but little above the most highly de-
veloped brutes, like the gorilla or the ourang outang, ap-
peared upon the scene ; that the last great change, called
the drift or glacial period, which has been wrought upon
the earth, took place from eighty thousand to two hundred
and fifty thousand years ago when, in consequence of a
fall from a moderately warm to an intensely cold tempera-
ture, a great sheet of ice or glacier was formed in the north-
ern polar regions and finally extended down as far south as
the thirty-fifth or fortieth degree of north latitude, and that
it was more than a mile in thickness and covered the tops
of the highest mountains ; that in Siberia in the eastern hem-
isphere and in Alaska in the western, vast herds of ele-
phants and other animals resembling those which now
abound in tropical regions were overwhelmed and de-
stroyed ; that the glacier which slowly moved towards the
south twenty degrees east ground down the granite crust of
the earth to a depth of several hundreds of feet, dug out the
valleys and lake beds, and bore away many square miles
of earth and pushed itself a score or two of miles into the
sea; that many of the rocks which were torn off from the
tops of the hills and fell upon the top of the glacier found
their way to the bottom of crevasses ; that these embedded
rocks became great gouges or rasps and cut grooves
of various degrees of width and depth upon the crust of the
earth, and smoothly polished the quartz and other hard sub-
stances of which it was composed; that the grooves were
made in lines exactly parallel to the direction in which the
glacier moved.
After many thousands of years hail elapsed the tempera-
ture became warmer, and caused the glacier to melt slowly
at first, and then more rapidly; that the great rivers which
were formed brought down boulders and great masses of
2,6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
sand and gravel and deposited them all over the country ;
that the process of melting- went on for hundreds of years,
until at last the glacier disappeared, the vast torrents of wa-
ter subsided and the rivers became reduced to their present
magnitude.
The evidences of the great glacial period are nowhere
more clearly manifested than in the town of Candia. In
fields, pastures and woods in all sections of the town great
boulders, some of which are many tons in weight, lie scat-
tered on the surface of the earth. All these rocks, as well
as all the little pebbles, the gravel, sand and clay, all of
which latter are nothing but pulverized rocks, were brought
here by the glacier from the hills and mountains in the
the north many thousands of years ago. In many places
in the town the most positive proofs of the passage of the
glacier may be plainly seen. As has already been stated,
the rocks embedded in the bottom of the glacier often made
grooves on the surface of the granite ledges over which they
passed. These grooves may be seen upon the ledges in all
parts of our town. On a ledge on the south side of High
Street opposite the residence of Mrs. Abraham Fitts, and al-
so upon the ledge on the north side of the same street op-
posite the barn belonging to Frank A. Hall there are very
marked grooves and scratches running nearly from north-
west to southeast.
Soon after the first settlements were made in the town, it
was found that there was a deposit of brick clay upon the
south end of the school lot upon land formerly owned by
William Duncan and now owned by George Brown. A
brick yard was established there and bricks were manufact-
ured in limited quantities for several years. It turned out
that the clay was of inferior quality and also that the sup-
ply was quite small.
Brick clay was also found upon the land now owned by
Isaiah Lang near the east side of Walnut Hill. About the
year 1827, David Lang, then the owner of the clay pit, man-
ufactured a considerable quantity of bricks, but the busi-
ness was long ago abandoned.
Upon the flanks of Hall's mountain there are large depos-
its of pure quartz, and it has been believed by several gold
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 37
hunters who have visited the locality, that by making deep
excavations in the rock, gold, in greater or less quantities,
may be found.
There are some very remarkable boulders in this town
both on account of their great size and the manner in which
they were deposited on the granite crust of the earth.
In the pasture belonging to J. F. Holt, about fifteen rods
from the northeast side of the Langford road leading to East
Candia and near the residence of Edward J. Morrill, an ir-
regular, egg-shaped boulder may be seen poised upon the
exact center of its shortest diameter upon another square-
shaped boulder, which had been previously deposited. The
first of these boulders is about 12 feet long and 5 feet wide
at the widest part and is pointed at both ends. Within
about two rods of these boulders is one of great size. It is
about 25 feet long, 20 feet wide and 9 feet high. It has been
split asunder by the frost and a tree has grown up through
the opening.
Upon the old Colcord farm, which thirty years ago was
the town farm, there is a cube-shaped boulder of 15 or 20
tons in weight set squarely upon a boulder of about the
same length and width.
Some of the boulders which have been deposited in the
town were of one species of rock such as gneiss or syenite,
and were taken from one locality at one time, while others
were another kind of rock such as porphyretic granite and
were torn off at another period from a mountain in another
locality.
Upon Dudley Hill, close to Raymond line and about half
a mile south of the old James Critchett's place, there is a
boulder which is about 27 feet long, 22 feet wide and 9 feet
high. The top of the west end projects over the base about
five feet, and affords a nice shelter from the rain for animals
or men. In former times sheep, which were kept in the
pasture found the boulder good protection in stormy
weather.
There is a great boulder in a pasture on the side of the
Colcord road and a few rods northwest from the residence
of Samuel Fisk. This is about 24 feet long in the lorrgest
part, 21 feet wide and 8 1-2 feet high.
38 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
There are many remarkably large boulders in the vicini-
ty of the New Boston road, the North road and the South
road.
Upon a wood lot which is owned by George H. Brown,
situated a few rods north of Kinnicum Pond, a very large
boulder rests upon the top of another which is about three
feet above the ground. Under one end of the top boul-
der there is a large opening which forms a den for hedge-
hogs and other wild animals. This boulder is about 18 feet
long, 12 feet wide and 6 feet high.
in a pasture owned by Frank A. Patten and about half a
mile west of his residence on the Chester road, there is a
very large and well-shaped boulder. It is somewhat oval
in form, and is 27 feet long in the longest part, 22 feet wide
and from 12 to 15 feet high. It is probably the largest well-
defined boulder in the town.
If this immense boulder could speak, what a thrilling sto-
ry it could relate of its adventures from the time when it
was suddenly torn away from its home "in the far off north,
where it had rested in peaceful security for ages; how it had
been rudely thrust down from some lofty mountain peak
and borne upon the back of the great glacier over mount-
ains, hills and deep gorges at a snail-like pace for hundreds
of years, and stranded at last upon a barren ledge of rock;
how, when the great floods formed by the melting- glacier
had subsided, it found itself one of a great family of boul-
ders amid a scene of utter desolation with not a vestige of
animal or vegetable life ; how at length the fine particles of
matter which had been disintegrated from the great rocky
crust of the earth became animated by the force, the life and
intelligence, which pervades every particle of matter
throughout the universe, and the green plants and the great
forests appeared, to flourish for a time and then to decay
and to be followed in turn by other plants and forests for
thousands of years. But the great granite boulder refuses
to respond to our questionings and the secrets of its history
we must learn as best we can.
ELEVATIONS.
Candia is an elevated town, beautifully diversified with
hills and valleys. The highest elevation is Hall's mount-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 39
ain, situated in the western part of the town. 900 feet
above the level of the sea. The next highest point, Tower
Hill, situated in the southwestern part of the town, is about
775 feet high. Patten's Hill, in the southeast corner of the
town, is about 675 feet high, and the most elevated points
on High Street and Walnut Hill are each about 700 feet
high. Clark's Hill, formerly called Wadleigh's Hill, in the
eastern part of the town, is about 475 teet high. From all
these heights the most charming views of the distant mount-
ains and local scenery may be obtained. Pine Hill, situat-
ed about a mile southwest of the railroad station, is not
more than 100 feet above the general level. It was so named
by the early settlers from the circumstance that it was cov-
ered with a dense growth of pine trees.
MILL STREAMS.
There are no large streams of water in the town, but there
are several good-sized mill streams which have often been
•dignified by the people with the name of river. One of
these rivers rises on the south side of Hall's mountain and
flows through a meadow, crosses the Merrill road and from
thence it flows to a saw mill situated half a mile north of
the residence of j. Henry Brown and owned by George H.
Brown, son of the late Aaron Brown. About a mile farther
on it operates a saw mill owned by Samuel A. Davis. It then
crosses the road leading from High Street to Deerfield South
Road and from thence it runs to a saw mill situated on lot
No. 42, 3d division. It then crosses North road and flows
about a mile and a half to lot No. 38, 3d division, near the
New Boston road where there was once a saw mill and srrist
mill. The stream then crosses the road which leads from
the Congregational Church and unites with a stream which
is an outlet of Martin's Pond situated in the southwestern
corner of Deerfield, and near Candia line. The stream then
flows to Candia Village, thence to the Island and Raymond
and.unites with a stream from Deerfield and Nottingham and
forms the Lamprey river.
A good mill stream which has its source in Kinnicum
Pond and Moose Meadow, flows in a westerly direction
about a mile and a quarter to the site of the Genesee saw
mill. It soon after crosses the turnpike and empties into
40 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the Maple Falls stream, which is an outlet of Sargent's
Pond and Sawyer's Pond in Hooksett. The latter stream
once operated a saw mill which was situated on the Manches-
ter road in Hooksett about a mile south of Rowe's Corner
and flowed to Maple Falls, and from thence to Clark's Pond
in Auburn, and through that pond to Lake Massabesic.
A small stream of water rises in the hills near the old bed
of the Portsmouth railroad, at the height of land between
Portsmouth and the Merrimack river about a mile and a
half west of the South road. The stream flows through
Brown's meadow to Cass' grist mill. From that point it
flows to Fmerson's saw mill situated near Candia depot and
from thence to a saw mill near Fast Candia depot, and
about two miles farther down it empties into Jones' Pond.
Quite a large stream of water flows from the southeast
section of the town near the Major Jesse Eaton place to
Murray's saw mill in Auburn and empties into the Little.
Massabesic in that town.
There are many beautiful brooks in the town, all of which
are tributaries to the larger streams herein described. One
of these rises. near the north side of Hall's mountain and
falls into the mill stream which operates Brown's and Da-
vis' saw mill.
PONDS.
There is only one entire natural pond in the town. This is
called Kinnicum Pond. According to a tradition it was so
named by the Indians. It is situated about a mile and a
half south of the residence of Mr. George H. Brown on High
Street, and about half a mile south of the old bed of the
Portsmouth and Concord railroad. The pond probably con-
tains upwards of a dozen acres. It is surrounded by a
swamp, which is covered with a thick growth of low bush-
es and ferns rooted in a spongy substance. A few small
pickerel and horned pouts are taken there every year. The
pond was formerly much larger than it is at the present
time.
Tower Hill Pond lies in a deep valley at the base of Tower
Hill in the southwest corner of the town of Candia and the
northwest corner of Auburn. The line between the two
towns passes through the middle of the pond, and one-half
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 43
is in Candia and the other half- is in Auburn. Its area is
probably forty acres or more. This is a beautiful sheet of
water and is much frequented by fishing parties.
VILLAGES, HAMLETS AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
The following are the names of the various villages and
principal neighborhoods in the town :
Candia Village, situated near the north part of the town.
Depot Village, situated on the line of the Portsmouth rail-
road about a mile southeast from the geographical center
of the town.
Candia Corner is situated at a point where the road from
Chester to Deerfield crosses the road leading from the Con-
gregational Meeting House and a mile northeast from the
center of the town.
The Colcord Road is a part of the town lying between
Candia Village and the northwestern part of Raymond.
The Burpee Road is a neighborhood situated between the
road leading from the south side of Candia Village to Hea-
ley's Corner where it crosses the road which extends from
the meeting: house to the New Boston road.
The North Road is the neighborhood which is situated on
the highway which extends from Healey's Corner to the res-
idence of Lorenzo Hoit and Addison Smith in the northwest
section of the town.
New Boston is a territory lying upon the highway that
intersects with the road from Deerfield to Chester and ex-
tends to Walnut Hill. This section was probably so
named in irony, on account of its somewhat desolate ap-
pearance in former times.
The Island is a small hamlet in the eastern part of the
t own.
East Candia is a small village situated in the eastern sec-
tion of the town.
The Patten Road is the highway which extends from the
point where it crosses the Portsmouth railroad a mile below
Candia depot and the east side of Patten's Hill.
The Turnpike is a hamlet in the southwestern part of the
town, situated on the old Chester turnpike.
The Merrill Road is the highway which leads from near the
west end of High Street to the North road.
42 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The Doniphan Road is the highway which extends from
the upper end of High Street to the turnpike.
The South Road is the highway which extends from the
Congregational Meeting House to Auburn.
That part of the highway which extends from Depot Village
to East Chester was formerly called District No. 4.
The Wason Road is the highway which leads from East
Candia to East Chester.
There is a small neighborhood on the Libby road which
extends from the South road to where Isaac Libby formerly
resided, and the highway which extends from the residence
of Edmund Smith to the old Anderson place on the turn-
pike.
The Baker Road is the highway formerly called the Mar-
den Road which leads from near the residence of George F.
Cass to where Enoch Baker and his father-in-law, Stephen
Marden, resided.
The highway which extends from the Baker road to the
road which leads .to that extending from Chester to
Deerfield, was formerly called the Colby Road, from the
circumstance that Enoch Colby and his son, Nehemiah Col-
by, liyed on that highway many years ago.
FAUNA.
When Candia was first settled ravenous and dangerous
wild animals were frequently seen in the forests. Wolves
sometimes came down from the north in great packs and
attacked and killed sheep and cattle. They were also very
destructive to the deer, which at that time lived herein con-
siderable numbers.
Black bears, some of which weighed three or four hun-
dred pounds, were quite common in those times. They
were very fond of honey and would climb trees and gnaw
into them and feed upon the honey, comb and all. Their
flesh was very palatable, and their skins with their thick
coverings of hair were highly prized.
Wild cats were very common in the town until within a
few years. The catamount was the king of wild beasts and
the terror of the settlers. It would sometimes kill twenty
sheep in one night. After sucking the blood of its prey it
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 43
would sneak off into the woods.. It was too much of a cow-
ard to attack a man.
Beavers were once very numerous here, and the remains
of their dams may still be seen in various parts of the town.
They have long since wholly disappeared. Otters, minks
and musquash were found here in abundance until within
a few years ; but they are now comparatively scarce.
Woodchucks, raccoons and skunks are found here at the
present time, though not in so great numbers as formerly.
Weasels, gray, red and striped squirrels were once very
common in the town ; but on account of the destruction
of a great number of the chestnut, walnut, beechnut and
butternut or oilnut trees, their supply of food has been
greatly reduced and they are far less plenty than formerly.
Among the most common reptiles were the black snake,
the house and water adder, the striped, green and brown
snakes. The rattlesnake was sometimes seen in the south-
eastern and western section of the town, but for many years
it was thought to be extinct. Recently, however, several
have been killed in the vicinity of Hall's mountain. Tur-
tles, tortoises, frogs, toads and lizards have always been
found in abundance here. The streams were formerly
abundantly supplied with pickerel, perch, trout, roach,
horned pouts, suckers and various other kinds of tish.
Inserts of many varieties have abounded in the town, in-
cluding humble bees more commonly called bumble bees,
honey bees, hornets, wasps, dragon flies vulgarly called
devil's darning needles, locusts, crickets, grasshoppers, spi-
ders of many varieties, fire flies or lightning bugs as they
were called by the old settlers.
Among the pests which may be named are pumpkin bugs,
the rose bugs, the potato bugs, buffalo bugs, bed bugs, cat-
erpillars, apple borers, mosquitoes and the house flies. The
potato bugs and the buffalo bugs were unknown to our an-
cestors.
Wild pigeons were once very abundant. They flew in
great flocks and the beating of their wings against the air
made a great roar like that caused by the trees of the forest
in a big storm. Wild turkeys were frequently found by the
early settlers. One of the roosting places of these birds
44 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
was in the woods situated upon the north end of lot No. 40,
3d division, which was first occupied by Isaiah Rowe. Par-
tridges have always abounded in the town, also woodcock,
quail and other game birds. Wild geese and wild ducks,
cranes and loons often rested themselves in the ponds and
streams on their passage from the southern to the
northern regions.
Among the birds of prey were the eagles, hen hawks,
owls, fish hawks and sparrow hawks. Among the other
birds were blue birds, hummingbirds, robins, wrens, thrush-
es, gold robins, swallows of four kinds, viz.: barn, eaves,
bank and chimney swallows, martins, cat birds, sparrows,
English sparrows, pewees, night hawks, blue jays, harry
wickits or yellow woodpeckers, and snow birds.
FLORA.
When the town was laid out the surface was covered with
a thick growth of forest trees and shrubs among which were
the following : Red, white, and black oak, rock, white,
and red maple, walnut, butternut or oilnut, spruce, hack-
metack, beech, chestnut, elm, red elm or slippery elm,
white and brown ash, buttonwood, wild poplar, black and
red cherry, basswood, hornbeam, mountain ash, hazelnut,
alder, dogwood, sumach, willow, bazberry, sassafras,
and hardhack. '
It is probable that not a single tree which was growing
on the soil when the first settlers came here is now alive,,
excepting the old chestnut trees which are still standing on
the old Col. Carr place near the Congregational Meeting
House. They had reached their full maturity when
white men came to the town. These trees are still in a
bearing condition.
Among the wild medicinal plants were the following:
Sarsaparilla, checkerberry, \;alerian or lady's slipper, su-
mach, yellow dock, dandelion, elecampane, pipsisewa,
sorrel, motherwort, mullein, milkweed, life of man, skull-
cap, elder, smartweed, snake root, mayweed, golden rod,
chickweed, plantain, gensing, bloodroot, peppermint,,
spearmint, catnip, willow, hardhack, witch hazel, thorough-
wort, tansy, yarrow, pennyroyal, liverwort, Solomon's seal,
lobelia, gold thread, purslain, Prince' spine.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 45
The following- are the names, of the principal wild fruits :
Cranberry, whortleberry, huckleberry, blueberry, straw-
berry, raspberry, blackberry, black and red cherry, grape,
gooseberry, sugar plum, checkerberry, bunch plum.
The following are the names of some of the other plants
and flowers : Pond lily, cow lily, cat tail, sweet flag, cow-
slips, chocolate root or avens root, wintergreen, trailing ar-
butus or June pinks, orchids, Indian poke, ox-eyed daisy,
white daisy, field lilies, azalia or May pink. There are
many varieties of ferns among which the brakes of various
kinds.
The Indians planted maize or Indian corn, pumpkins and
beans.
When the Europeans came they introduced many new
species of grasses, fruit trees, plants, flowers and grains,
many hundreds in all. Among these were the apple, pear
quince, the large red and black cherry, the damson.
List of the names of the mountains that can be seen from
Candia, and their altitudes :
Mount Monadnock, Jaffrey,
" Kearsarge, Warner,
" Lovell, Washington,
" Crotched, Francestown,
" Pack Monadnock, Peterborough,
" Lyndeborough, Lyndeborough,
" Wachusett, Princeton, Mass.,
" Joe English, New Boston,
" Uncanoonucs, Goffstown,
" Saddleback, Northwood,
" Pawtuckaway, Deerfield and Nottingham,
Mount Delight, in the western part of Deerfield, is quite a
lofty eminence, but its height has not been ascertained.
It makes a very fine appearance from Candia.
3,185 feet,
2,943 '
t
2,487 '
t
2,066
ft
2,289
i «
1,500
t<
2,025
t<
1, 100
(<
1-333
£ (
1,000
! <
900
!<
CHAPTER VI.
CIVIL HISTORY.
THE FIRST TOWN MEETING.
In accordance with the terms of the charter granted to the
town by Governor Wentworth, Samuel Emerson of Chester
issued a call for the citizens to assemble for the purpose of
organizing and establishing an independent town govern-
ment. The meeting was holden on September 8, 1764.
The place of the meeting has not been recorded, but it is
probable that it took place in one of the dwelling houses on
Candia Hill, in the vicinity of the present Congregational
Meeting House. The meeting was called to order by Sam-
uel Emerson, who presided. The citizens brought in their
votes for Moderator. Dr. Samuel Mooers was elected to
that office and the citizens then proceeded to elect the fol-
lowing board of town officers :
Parish Clerk, Dr. Samuel Mooers ; Constable, Winthrop
Wells; Selectmen, Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder, John
Clay, John Sargent; Ty thing man, John Clay; Surveyors
of Highways, Lieutenant Samuel Towle, Moses Baker,
Elisha Bean, Zebedee Berry ; Fence Viewers, Mathew Ram-
say, Stephen Webster ; Hay wards, Stephen Palmer, Moses
Smart ; Deer Inspectors, Theophilus Clough, Jonathan
Bean ; Committee to examine the Selectmen's accounts,
Stephen Webster, Walter Robie, Nathaniel Emerson.
Voted that for the future the annual town meeting shall
be held on the second Tuesday of March, yearly.
In giving a list of the first town officers who were elected
some explanation in regard to the nature of those offices
which have now become obsolete or merely nominal, may
not be altogether unnecessary.
DEER INSPECTORS.
An act was passed by the British Government in 1758 for-
bidding the killing of any buck, doe, or fawn from the first
day of December to the first day of August. This act was
passed for the purpose of preserving deer enough for breed-
46
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 47
ing purposes and thus preventing the extinction of this race
of animals.
HAYWARDS.
The duty of a hay ward was to take up and impound neat
cattle or other domestic animals from running at large on
the highway or on common land. The duties of field driv-
ers were the same as those of haywards.
HOGREEVES.
The hogreeve, upon the complaint that any person re-
fuses or neglects to yoke or ring his hog shall yoke and ring
them and receive, therefor, a fee of twelve pence. It was
required that all hogs found running at large between April
and October' should be properly ringed. The ringing was
performed by inserting a piece of iron wire through the
hog's nose, bringing the ends together and then twisting
them. The twisted wire was made to project about an inch
above the nose so as to prevent the animal from rooting.
When the settlers had provided themselves with fences and
were able to secure their swine in pens and yards, there
was no further need for hogreeves. The custom, however,
of electing men to this office has been continued from that
day to this as a good joke, and the honor has been con-
ferred upon those who have been married within the year.
FENCE VIEWERS.
The duty of these officers was to adjust all disputes be-
tween the owners of farms bordering upon each other in re-
gard to the fences separating them. It often happened that
one owner would neglect to build his part of the fence or
would build one which was imperfect. In such cases the
fence viewer was called upon to settle the difficulty and his
decision was final.
TYTH.ING MEN.
An act passed in 171 5 provided that no taverner or retail-
er of spirits should suffer any apprentice to drink in his
house, nor any inhabitant after ten o'clock at night, nor
more than two hours ; nor suffer any person to drink to in-
toxication, or others than strangers to remain in his house
on the Lord's day, under a hue of five shillings.
The act also provided that at least twotything men should
48 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
be annually chosen, whose duty it was to inspect all li-
censed houses and inform of all disorders to a Justice of the
Peace and also to inform of all cursers and swearers.
By an act passed in 1799, all labor and recreation, trav-
eling and rudeness at places of public worship on the Lord's
clay were forbidden. The tything men had power to com-
mand assistance and forcibly detain all travelers unless they
could give a sufficient reason for so doing. This act was
enforced in this town from the incorporation of the town
until about the year 1825, when the custom of arresting peo-
ple for traveling on the Lord's day became obsolete.
Among other town officers there have been sealers of
weights and measures, sealers of leather, cutters of staves
and surveyors of lumber.
OTHER TOWN MEETINGS.
At a rheeting of the citizens of the town held on April 4,
1764, Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder was Moderator. It
was voted to raise 150 pounds Old Tenor to hire preaching
to begin on the first of August next. Voted that 100 pounds
Old Tenor be raised to hire schooling.
At a meeting held on October 24, 1764, Benjamin Batch-
elder was Moderator.
Voted to lay out a road four rods wide beginning at a
stake and stones at the south side of Nathaniel Emerson's
land, by spotted trees across the said Emerson's land, by
spotted trees to a hemlock tree marked upon the said Emer-
son's land to lot No. 120, then across said lot to the beaver
dam, then across the lot No. 125 straight to the southwest
corner bounds of lot No. 126. Then following the road as
i.t now runs to Moses Baker's house, then south upon said
Baker's land to the reserve. Then following the reserve to
the road that leads from Thomas Patten's to Benjamin Row-
ell's.
This road is that which extends from the residence of
John Gate to Patten's Hill. That part of the road which
was laid out from Moses Baker's house to Benjamin Row-
ell's was never built.
For damages to Colonel Emerson's land the selectmen
gave him the reserve for a road, which was laid out by
the original proprietors on the north side of his land, and
JOHN D. EMERSON.
Sketch, page 499.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 49
for damages done to lots 124 and 125 they gave him the re-
serve on the north of said lots. For damage done to lot
126 they gave him the reserve on the south side of said lot.
The part of the reserve awarded to Colonel Emerson for
damages above referred to was intended to be a continua-
tion of the Colby road ; but on account of the deep valley
in that locality it was deemed imprudent to build a road
there.
On October 29, 1764, the selectmen laid out a road begin-
ning at the southwest corner of lot 89, then following the
reserve as far as the path goes by Mathew Ramsey's house,
then from said reserve across said Ramsey lot, then follow-
ing the reserve about twenty rods upon the west of the
hundred acre lot, No. 114, then running a southerly course
through Asahel Quimby's land two rods wide to the east
end of Lieutenant Benjamin Batchelder's house, then run-
ning westerly through said Batchelder's land until it strikes
the reserve about twenty rods north of said Batchelder's
southwest corner bounds, then following the reserve about
forty rods through Samuel Buswell's land, a straight course
to the east side of said Buswell's house, then through
Walter Robie's land a straight course to the west end of said
Robie's house.
The road thus laid out by the selectmen was the first
highway which extended from the east end of the Baker
road in rather a zigzag course to the house where Mr. Truell
now resides. A few years later the road was straightened
considerably, and has been known as a part of the South
road.
When the original proprietors of Chester made the eight
divisions of territory into lots, they laid out reserves of land
for roads. In the third division of lots, which is wholly in
Candia, the most of the reserves are laid in regular order
and cross each other at right angles. The law provides
that all roads in a town must be laid out in due form by the
selectmen, in order that the town shall be responsible for
their proper construction and maintainance.
The first roads in Candia were laid out by the selectmen
in Chester, while the former town was still a parish. The
first road so laid out was that which extends from the south -
4
5© HISTORY OF CANDIA.
west corner of Raymond to the Wason neighborhood, and
from thence across the east side of Patten's Hill to the resi-
dence of William Patten, now George Patten's, and from
thence over Wadieigh's or Clark's Hill to Benjamin Smith's
residence, and then to Candia Meeting House. This was
the first road which was laid out by selectmen in Candia.
In 1758, the road from Deerfield to Candia Corner and
Chester was laid out.
In 1760, the road from the Island to what is now Candia
Village was laid out.
THE LOTS.
The original proprietors laid out a parsonage lot and a
lot for the support of public schools. The first lot was sit-
iiated on the southeast corner of High Street and the South
road.
The school lot was situated on the southwest corner of
High Street and the South road, and soon after the town
was incorporated a committee was appointed to take care
of the lots.
That part of the town called the 2nd part of the 2nd divi-
sion was laid out in one hundred acre lots a considerable
time before the 3d division was laid out. The lots in the
latter division contained only eighty acres each. The num-
bering of the lots in the 3d division began at the northeast
corner of the town and proceeded in regular order to the
northwest corner. Then the numbering was continued by
going back to the Raymond line on the next tier of lots and
proceeding westward in the numbering as before.
At the town meeting held on the 12th of March, 1764, the
following officers were elected :
John Clay, Moderator ; Dr. Samuel Mooers, Clerk ; Enoch
Rowell, Constable ; Dr. Samuel Mooers, Jonathan Hills,
Moses Baker, Selectmen ; John Carr, Tythingman ; Jona-
than Bean, Thomas Critchett, Moses Smart, Thomas Pat-
ten, Nathaniel Emerson, Asahel Quimby, Benjamin Cass,
Surveyors of Highways ; Jeremiah Bean, Lieutenant Ben-
jamin Batchelder, Fence Viewers; Isaiah Rowe, Joseph
Hill, Joseph Smith, Haywards ; Sherburne Rowe, Deer In-
spector ; Captain John Sargent, Surveyor of Lumber ; Icha-
hod Robie, Theophilus Sargent, William Turner, Commit,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 51
lee to examine Selectmen's accounts ; Zebedee Berry,
Pound Keeper.
At a town meeting held April 18, 1765, it was voted to
raise 300 pounds Old Tenor for preaching-, and Benjamin
Batchelder and Theophilus Sargent were appointed com-
mittee to examine the selectmen's accounts.
CHAPTER VII.
PRIVATIONS OF THE EARLY SETTLERS.
A few of the first settlers of the territory of Candia came
from Chester or from some of the older towns, where they
had cleared up a lot of land and furnished themselves with
homes and some property. Such as these were prepared to
make a new settlement under comparatively comfortable
circumstances. There were others, however, who had but
little capital, except their hands and a good endowment of
strength and courage, to enable them to meet the difficul-
ties they were called upon to encounter.
It should be borne in mind when the territory was first
settled it was mostly covered with a thick growth of forest
trees, many of which were of great size, and that there
were but few if any paths. The hardy pioneers must have
brought with them a sufficient supply of provisions to last
them for a few weeks at least.
The first thing to be done was to build a cabin of logs
with a chimney of rough stone. They then proceeded to
make a clearing. The big trees, upon two or three acres,
were cut down and burned and a part of the land was pre-
pared for a crop of rye. Plowing was out of the question
on account of the stumps, and so they were obliged to dig
up the soil and work the seed with clumsy hoes. A small
patch of land was then planted with potatoes, corn and a
few beans. There were no carts and everything was car-
ried to the fields in rough hods. There was a plenty of game
in the woods consisting of deer, wild turkeys, partridges
and squirrels, and they managed to make themselves com-
fortable on the score of food. In due time a cow, a pig and
a few hens were brought to the rude settlements. Whatev-
er they had in the way of furniture was brought upon horse-
back from Chester, or some of the older settlements. There
were no grist mills in town for several years after the settle-
ment, and the corn and rye had to be carried on horseback
52
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 53
a dozen or twenty miles to be ground, and in case there
was no horse, the head of the family carried half a bushel
■or more of corn upon his back to the mill.
Their food was of the plainest quality. The greater part
of the time it consisted of salt pork fried and boiled, baked
beans, bean porridge, hasty pudding, bread and milk.
They had no table cloths and but few plates and knives.
They had no tea and for coffee they used rye or roasted
barley pounded in a mortar. In the spring they sometimes
had veal, and in the autumn and winter they had fresh beef
and pork, and at Thanksgiving they regaled themselves with
chicken pie and in rare cases with roast turkey.
Besides doing all the house work and taking care of the
children, the women and girls often worked in the fields
with the men. They could drive oxen, plant potatoes and
corn, reap and bind, spread hay and assist in getting it in-
to the barn. They also spun and wove all the cloth worn
in the family.
The settlers continued to cut down the forest, and to
bring a few acres under cultivation year by year, until they
had goodly farms suitably cleared into fields and pastures.
But all these improvements required the hardest and most
persistent labor. To construct the walls and fences was a
herculean task. As these farms became more productive
and increased in value, their condition in regard to food,
shelter and clothing was greatly improved. The log cabin
or shanty was exchanged for a substantial house, generally
of one story for the first succeeding years, and good barns
and other out buildings.
CHAPTER VIII,
HIRING AND SETTLING MINISTERS.
The majority of the early settlers of New Hampshire were
Calvinists andCongregationalists, and the ministers of that
denomination of Christians were legally constituted the
"standing order"' in the state. The citizens of the towns
were required by law to tax themselves for the support of
the doctrines and ordinances of that sect whether their con-
sciences approved of them or not. The people in town
meeting assembled voted for their religious teachers, and
the meeting houses and parsonages were built and support-
ed at the public expense. The grantees of the townships
in many cases were required by the terms of their charters
to reserve one lot for a parsonage and another for the sup-
port of the minister. A provision of this sort was contained
in the charter of the town of Chester. This condition of
things was continued in New Hampshire without much op-
position for more than a hundred years.
Very soon after Candia was incorporated, measures were
taken by the citizens to provide for the support of the Chris-
tian ministry. At the very first town meeting, in 1764, it
was voted to raise 150 pounds Old Tenor for preaching.
In 1765, it was voted to raise 300 pounds Old Tenor, and in
1766, four hundred pounds was raised. Tristram Gilman,
who was the first minister in town, was employed to preach
fourteen Sabbaths and was paid twelve pounds. Theophilus
Sargent, who resided at the Corner, was paid one pound
and ten shillings for boarding Mr. Gilman and five shillings
for going to Exeter to engage him. The same year Benja-
min Batchelder was paid four shillings for going to Hamp-
ton to secure a minister.
In 1767, John Clay, Ichabod Robie and Moses Baker
were chosen a committee to hire a minister. Rev. Mr.
Webster was employed and was paid eighteen pounds for
preaching fifteen Sabbaths. In 1768, the same committee
54
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 55
was re-elected, and the sum of twenty pounds was raised
for the support of preaching. Mr. Gilman preached fifteen
Sabbaths and Rev. Mr. Hall preached two Sabbaths. John
Clay was paid two pounds for going after Mr. Gilman and
for boarding him. Moses Baker was paid three shillings,
and Ichabod Robie was paid five shillings for going after
ministers. The meetings for religious services were held
at that time in the dwelling house of Joseph Palmer, who
lived in the house nearly opposite the old parsonage.
There were no post offices, telegraphs, telephones, rail-
roads or stages in those days, and no communications be-
tween people living at a distance from each other could be
had except by special messenger, and yet they managed to
get along, notwithstanding.
On June 8, 1768, the town voted that there should be a
minister settled as soon as it could be conveniently done,
and it was voted that the committee already appointed
should appoint a day for fasting and prayer in order to the
calling of a gospel minister, and hire a minister upon pro-
bation or trial. It was voted, as the parish had agreed
upon Rev. Mr. Gilman as a minister, that the commit-
tee should hire him upon trial in order for settlemen.t
Mr. Gilman declined the call.
In June, 1769, it was voted to raise twenty pounds lawful
money to be laid out for preaching, and Dr. Samuel Mooers
and Benjamin Cass were chosen a committee to lay out the
money. It was also voted to select for further trial the
three ministers who had preached. In August, of the same
year, it was voted to give Mr. Searle a call to settle and to
offer him a salary of forty pounds with the use of the par-
sonage. Mr. Searle gave a negative answer. Mr. Searle
was paid for preaching ten Sabbaths, Mr. Currier for two,
and Mr. Lancaster for four Sabbaths.
In November, 1770, it was voted to give Mr. David Jew-
ett a call to the work of the ministry, and to give him a sal-
ary of fifty pounds the first year, and to add five pounds
to that amount, annually, until it was sixty-five pounds,
and that should be his stated salary, with the income of the
parsonage ; to finish the parsonage and barn and dig a well
as soon as convenient. Mr. Jewett accepted the call, and
56 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
was ordained on the first Wednesday of September, 1770.
Mr. Jewett performed the duties of the ministerial office
to the satisfaction of the people for eight or nine years,
when from some cause troubles arose, and on February 8,
1779, the town voted that he be requested to resign his po-
sition as minister. This was in the midst of the war of the
Revolution, money had greatly depreciated in value, and
the people were greatly straightened in their circumstances.
It has been suggested that Mr. Jewett wanted more salary.
It should be stated that the paper currency had become
greatly depreciated in value, and it would seem that Mr.
Jewett was fully justified in demanding more pay for his
services. On May 27, of the same year, the town voted
unanimously not to make any addition to his salary that
year. A few days later, Mr. Jewett sent a communication
to the selectmen, whereupon the people voted not to act
upon any paper or letter which he had written. Subse-
quently another committee was chosen and authorized to
settle with Mr. Jewett in regard to the civil contract be-
tween him and the people of the town. On May 8, 1780,
the people voted not to increase his salary.
Upon the request of Mr. Jewett, the whole affair was re-
ferred to a mutual council of five citizens, who belonged to
some of the neighboring towns. The referees were chosen,
but a part of them declined to act. Hon. Meshech VVeare,
who was consulted, advised another trial for settlement.
Mr. Jewett then made a communication in which he offered
some terms of settlement. His terms were accepted and
soon after he was dismissed and left the town.
CHAPTER IX.
THE FIRST MEETING HOUSE AND PARSONAGE.
At a town meeting held September 8, 1766, it was voted
to build a meeting house and to set it near the northwest
corner of the parsonage lot. This lot is No. 90, on the pro-
prietors' plan.
It was voted that the meetinghouse frame should be com-
menced upon the 22nd day of September, and that John
Clay, Walter Robie, Benjamin Cass, Nathaniel Emerson
and Abraham Fitts be a committee to oversee the work.
It was voted to raise sixty pounds lawful money to be
paid in lumber or in work at two shillings and sixpence per
day for common hands, and that the committee hire work-
men to construct the said frame and have it completed by
the last day of October ; and if any persons refuse to pay
their proportion in work or lumber, they would be required
to pay the same in money to the constable.
It was voted that the meeting house should be built 45
feet wide and 55 feet long, and at a town meeting held on
October 20th, it was voted that the selectmen should assess
a sufficient sum to finish the meeting house frame, and pro-
vide the workmen and the people who assist at the raising
a supper of codfish, potatoes and butter.
The timber for the building, which consisted mostly of
red and white oak, was probably cut from the parsonage
and school lots, which belonged to the town and were situ-
ated in the immediate vicinity of the spot which was chos-
en for the site of the meeting house. The huge logs were
drawn to the spot by ox teams, and it must have required
a great amount of labor to hew and prepare them for their
proper places in the frame. There were great double raft-
ers in the frame to support the roof, as many a boy who
clambered up to the attic sixty years after the building was
raised could have testified.
The work upon the frame was completed in the best
57
58 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
manner possible and, on the day appointed, everything w'*s-
ready for the raising. All the able-bodied men in the town
were on hana to assist in the great work. Many women
and children were also present as witnesses of the exciting
scene.
The building was successfully raised without accident,
and the supper of codfish, potatoes and butter was served
in the dwelling house of Colonel John Carr according to the
programme; but, alas! no record of the details of the event has
been preserved. No daily newspapers, with their long col-
umns of local items, were published in the town or in the
vicinity in those days and the people of the present and
succeeding generations must remain in utter ignorance as
to who was the master builder on the occasion, or whether
he worked by the square or scribe rule ; or whether, when
the last' wooden pin had been driven into its proper place,
some bold adventurer, inspired by the inward conscious-
ness of genius, climbed to the ridgepole and, standing erect,
proceeded to dedicate or " name " the building in an ex-
temporaneous oration, and whether when the climax of the
peroration had been reached, he dashed upon the heavy
timbers below a decanter of rum and sprinkled the precious-
fluid over the beams, the spars, the braces and the sills, as
was oftentimes the custom on similar occasions in those
days. Neither can they know as to where in the great
ocean the codfish served at the supper were taken, whether
off Marblehead or on the banks of Newfoun did, or how
many pounds were required to feed the hungry farmers and
mechanics assembled at the feast, or where they were pur
chased, whether at Portsmouth or Newburyport ; or wheth-
er they were paid for in depreciated continental money or in
red oak hogshead staves ; nor can any person now living know
as to how many bushels of potatoes were cooked or whether
they were long reds, old-fashioned whites or lady fingers ;
and, worse than all, the names of the good housewives of
the town who assisted Mrs. Carr in cooking and preparing
the entertainment, and those of the rosy-cheeked maidens
who waited upon the tables and laughed at the dry jokes of
the young men seated before them, have long since been
consigned to oblivion.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 59
At a town meeting held February 5, 1767, it was voted to
sell the pew ground for the wall pews, and Moses Baker,
Dr. Samuel Mooers and William Turner were chosen a com-
mittee to sell it and take care that the frame be boarded,
shingled and underpinned. The pew ground was sold Feb-
ruary 19, 1767.
At a town meeting in September, it was voted to sell ground
for six more pews behind the men's and women's seats, in
order to raise funds to finish the outside of the meeting
house that fall as far as the avails from the sales would go.
The purchase of the pew ground referred to was sold Octo-
ber 1, 1767, and the purchasers paid for it in merchantable
pine boards at eighteen shillings per thousand and in shin-
gles at seven shillings per thousand.
On November, 1767, it was voted that the meeting house
should be glazed that fall, and liberty was given to cut tim-
ber on the parsonage and school lots to make red oak hogs-
head staves to defray the expense, the staves to be three
feet and eight inches long, and delivered at the meeting
house by the 10th day of February following.
In 1769, it was voted that the meeting house committee
build the men's and women's seats in the meeting house,
and in June, 1773, it was voted to build a pulpit within six
months. From the foregoing account of the building of the
meeting house, it appears that the progress in the under-
taking was exceedingly slow, as nearly three years had
elapsed before the men's and women's seats were built,
and about seven years before a pulpit was constructed. It
does not appear from any record that the building was ever
formally dedicated nor is it known when the first religious
service was held within its walls. The latter event proba-
bly took place immediately after the building was boarded,
shingled and glazed late in the fall of 1767. In 1775, it was
voted to sell ground for pews in the gallery to the highest
bidder and the finishing of the meeting house to the low-
est bidder. In 1779, it was voted to build seats in the gal-
lery and that the breast-work should be lined during that
season.
It would seem that this work was not done that year, for
on July 21, 1783, it was again voted to build the seats and
6o
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
complete the work upon the breast-work, or panel work be-
low and around the gallery.
The house faced the south a few degrees east. Over the
pulpit, which was erected in the middle of the north side of
the building, there was an old-fashioned sounding board,
and in front and below the pulpit were the deacons' seats.
On the west side of the broad aisle and immediately in front
of the pulpit there were seats or benches for the accommo-
dation of the elderly men of the congregation, who were
hard of hearing, and on the east side there were seats for
the elderly women. All of them were free seats. In 1828,
these seats were removed and a tier of pews was erected
in their places. The wall pews, so called, were erected
next to the walls of the four sides of the building-, and the
rest of the area, which was covered with pews, was called
the ground floor. There were 36 pews on the lower floor
and 24 in the gallery.
The pews were of panel work with a row of turned balus-
ters about eight inches long near the top. The seats, which
were placed upon three sides of the pews, were hung with
hinges and, during prayers, they were turned up for the
convenience of the worshippers. When the prayer was
ended the seats were slammed down upon their supports,
causing a loud, rattling noise slightly resembling a volley
of musketry.
In the gallery there were pews around the walls on
three sides, and three pews on the east and west sides be-
ween the wall pews and the breast-work. The latter pews
were built about a foot lower than the wall pews. Next,
south of the pews last described, there were two long seats
or benches for the use of those persons who were not other-
wise accommodated. Those on the west side were occu-
pied by men and those on the opposite side were occupied
by women. Mrs. Flora Stewart, the colored servant of Mr.
Duncan, the trader, seated herself on the east side of the
gallery while her sons, Isaiah and George, who worked on
Mr. Duncan's farm, were seated on the west side. A few
of the pews were owned by one person, but the most of
them were owned in shares. Some owned half a pew
and others only a quarter of a pew.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 6 1
The pews were built at the expense of the parties who
bid off the pew ground. None were built, however, for sev-
eral years after the building- was raised, boarded and shin-
gled. Some of the pews were built by one carpenter and
others by other workmen. John Lane, who was an excel-
lent carpenter and cabinet maker, built a large number of
pews as will be seen by the following extracts from his ac-
count book :
September 20, 1791. John Sargent, Dr. To building
part of a pew, 8 shillings.
In the same year there were the following charges :
John Bagley and Lieutenant Fitts, Dr. September 24,
to building a pew, 1 pound.
Benjamin Rowe, Jonathan Brown and others, Dr. To
building half a pew, 10 shillings.
David Pillsbury, Dr. To building a pew, 1 pound.
Nathan Bean and Phinehas Bean, Dr. To building a pew,
1 pound.
Isaiah Rowe, Dr. To building 1-4 of a pew, 5 shillings.
In 1 79 1, there were also the following charges :
Jonathan Rowe, Dr. To building 1-4 of a pew, 5 shil-
lings.
Thomas Towle, Dr. To building 1-2 of a pew, 10 shil-
lings.
Daniel Dolber, Dr. To building half a pew, 10 shillings.
Elijah Clough, Dr. To building 1-4 of a pew, 5 shillings.
Samuel Colcord, Dr. To building half a pew, 10 shillings.
Moses Dustin, Dr. To building part of a pew, 1 1 shil-
lings.
Mr, Lane performed a large amount of labor upon the
meeting house for the town, between the years 1796 and
1800. He kept a strict account of every item of work as it
was performed day by day, as the following extracts from
his account book, in 1791, will show :
The Parish of Candia, To John Lane, Dr.
August 13. To six days' work on the meeting house, 1
pound 4 shillings.
August 20. To three and a half days' work, 14 shillings.
September 7. To three days by Lieutenant Buswell and
one by myself, 16 shillings.
62 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
September 25. To one clay's work, 4 shillings.
October 1. To four and a half days' work, 18 shillings.
October 8. To six days' work, 1 pound 4 shillings.
October 29. To nine days' work by my brother, 1 pound
16 shillings.
Mr. Lane continued to make charges for work done upon
the building at times during the remainder of that year.
BUILDING THE STEEPLE.
In the year 1795, the people of the town began to talk of
adding a steeple, a spire and a porch to the meeting house.
At a town meeting held March 29, 1796, a proposition to
build a steeple was defeated by a vote of fifty-two to fifty-
nine.
For more than twenty years after the meeting house was
erected, the entrances to the gallery were by stairways in
the southeast and southwest corners of the building. At a
town meeting held early in the spring of 1796, it was voted
to take away the stairways and sell the spaces which they
had covered for pew ground and devote the money received
therefor to building a steeple, provided a sufficient sum
could be raised by subscription to carry out the under-
taking. The necessary funds were immediately raised, and
a very handsome steeple was soon erected at the west end
of the building. The spire was supported by eight strong
oak pillars, and the dome of the belfry, which was of octa-
gon shape, was constructed in an artistic manner. The
distance from the ground to the gilded rooster, which sur-
mounted the spire, was said to have been about one hun-
dred and ten feet. A lightning rod was attached to the
steeple soon after it was built.
John Lane also performed a good deal of work on the
steeple. It appears that Major Samuel Mooers was a mem-
ber of the committee appointed by the town to build the
structure, and was authorized to employ the carpenters to
do the work. In the summer and fall of 1796, Mr. Lane
charged Major Mooers, the chairman of the committee, for
services on the steeple. The following are a few of the
items set down in his account book :
To myself and horse to Chester to view the meeting house
in that town, 6 shillings.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 63
To myself six days, and Joseph, (one of his sons) three
-days, boarding, etc., i pound 1 6 shillings.
To one day after stuff, 4 shillings.
To finishing the inside of ye porch by the job, finding
myself, 6 pounds.
To myself and Joseph two days on ye foreside, 1 pound
16 shillings.
To myself three and a half days on ye ogee and eight
square, etc., 15 shillings 9 pence.
To myself and Joseph two and a half days on ye eight
square, etc., 15 shillings 9 pence.
To myself five days, and Joseph six days on the inside
ye steeple, 1 pound 1 2 shillings.
There were various other charges in the bill of the same
character, the total amounting to 24 pounds, 6 shillings
and 9 pence.
THE PARSONAGE, ETC.
On October, 1768, the town voted to build a parsonage
for accommodating the ministers who came to settle in the
parish ; to dig a well ; clear up and bring under improve-
ment thirty acres within four years. To cut down and burn
off the thick growth of old trees and shrubbery, which stood
upon the lot ; to take off the boulders, dig up and prepare
the soil for a crop of rye, corn and grass, was no small job,
and it required many hard days' work.
On February 6, 1769, it was decided that the house should
be located on the north end of the lot upon the spot where
Mr. Sylvester now resides, and nearly opposite to the pres-
ent parsonage belonging to the Congregational Society.
The house was thirty-eight feet long and twenty feet wide,
with a " Citching Room," (kitchen) upon the east end of
the south side, two stories high and eighteen feet square.
In August, 1769, it was voted that the overplus of the
staves be laid out in buying brick for the parsonage house
chimney.
•In 1770, it was voted to build a stack of chimneys with
two fireplaces, and finish one room by the first day of Octo-
ber, of that year ; likewise, to finish another room by the
first day of December ensuing ; dig a cellar and also set
^4 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
out an orchard of one hundred apple trees the next spring.
During the time that the parsonage lot was owned by the
town, it was occupied by Rev. Mr. Jewett about ten years,
by Rev. Mr. Prince seven years, by Rev. Mr. Remington
twenty-five years, by Rev. Mr. Jones two years, and by
Rev. Mr. Wheeler ten years.
Upon September 13, 18 13, it was voted to sell one acre of
the parsonage lot, situated on the northeast corner, to Rev.
Mr. Remington.
THE PROVINCE DIVIDED INTO COUNTIES.
Previous to 1770, all the business pertaining to the courts,
etc., was transacted at Portsmouth. In August, 1767, the
House resolved to divide the province into four counties,
while the Council insisted that two counties were sufficient.
The King was appealed to, and he gave leave to the House
and Council to pass a bill establishing five counties. The
bill was passed and signed by the provincial governor. The
following are the names of the five counties which were es-
tablished : Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Cheshire
and Grafton.
Portsmouth and Exeter became the shire towns, and the
the jail and the offices of the Register of Probate and the
Register of Deeds were established at those places.
Trials by jury also took place there and for several years
the expenses of the jurymen were paid by the towns
from which they were sent.
By the selectmen's accounts for the year 1775, it appears
that nine jurymen were paid by the town for services at the
courts at Portsmouth at various times during that year.
1
JOHN BROWN.
Sketch, page 510.
CHAPTER X.
THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION,
After the conquest of Canada and the close of the French
and Indian wars, the people of the American colonies cher-
ished the hope that they would be permitted to enjoy a long-
period of peace and prosperity. But they soon began to
realize that their hopes were delusive dreams, so long as
they were under the dominion of tyrants beyond the seas.
The long war with France had exhausted the British treas-
ury, and various schemes were devised by the ministry and
parliament to replenish it. Among these was an act to tax
the American colonies, by greatly increasing the duties on
tea, sugar, molasses, coffee, and other goods imported from
the West Indies and other countries. The Stamp Act, which
was passed by Parliament in 1765, providing that no deeds,
» wills, or other legal papers should be valid unless they bore
government stamps, which were brought from England
and sold at stipulated prices, was another exercise of tyran-
nical power. The intelligence of the passage of this act
caused great excitement and indignation throughout the col-
onies, as it had been constantly asserted and maintained
that taxation without representation was tyranny.
The duty on' tea was the most obnoxious tax, not because
of the amount per pound, but because of the claim of the Brit-
ish Government that it had a right to tax their American
colonies at all ; and the people very generally entered into
an agreement that they would not import or use tea while it
was subject to a duty. As a consequence, the importation
cc tea was greatly limited, and the attempt to derive a rev-
enue from this source was a complete failure. The British
Government there upon took oT the duty, and the East In-
dia company was allowed to ship their teas to America,
and to pay the Government three pence per pound on its
being landed. The three pence per pound was of course
added to the cost of the tea to the consumers. The colo-
65
5
66 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
nists were not so stupid as to be caught by so transparent a
trick, and their resistance to the tax became more deter-
mined than ever. Public meetings were held in many
of the towns in the colonies, and it was resolved that
" whoever directly or indirectly aided or assisted in the im-
portation of any of the East Indies company's teas, or any
teas whatever, should be deemed an enemy to America."
An attempt to import a quantity of tea at Portsmouth,
caused great excitement, and the tea was afterwards re-
shipped. At about the same time a ship arrived in Boston
harbor with a cargo of tea. The vessel was boarded by a
resolute company of the colonists, and the tea was taken
from the hold and thrown overboard into the sea.
The British Government, finding that the colonists would
not submit to their acts of tyranny, resolved to overawe
them by making a display of its power. As Boston was
the central point of the resistance to the demands of the
King and Parliament, a force of 3,000 men, under the com-
mand of General Gage, was sent to Boston and quartered
among the people of that town. Trade and business of all
kinds were suspended, in consequence, and the people suf-
fered from the want of food and the other necessaries of
life. In this emergency, the people of the adjacent towns
sent them food, and otherwise contributed to their support.
In the latter part of December, 1774, an order from the
King and Council forbidding the exportation of powder and
other military stores from England to the American colo-
nies was received at Boston. At the same time, it became
known that troops were about to be sent from Boston to-
disarm Fort William and Mary at the mouth of the Piscata-
qua river. The information was immediately conveyed to
Portsmouth by Paul Revere, whereupon the Committee of
Safety of that town collected together three or four hundred
men, who belonged to Portsmouth and the surrounding
towns, for the purpose of capturing the powder and stores
from the fort. The enterprise was successful in every par-
ticular, and ninety-se^en barrels of powder, sixty stand of
arms and sixteen pieces of cannon were taken and removed
to a place of safety.
The blow aimed at the people of the Province of Massa-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 67
chusetts, the principal place to offer open resistance, to the
attempt to deprive them of their rights, was also directed
towards the people of all the British colonies in America,
and the people of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and
the other colonies, at once prepared to co-operate with their
brethren of New England in the work of defending the rights
of all.
In May, 1774, a Congress, consisting of delegates from
all the colonies, assembled at Philadelphia for the purpose
of forming a confederation of the colonies in opposing
the attempts to strip them of their rights and liberties
New Hampshire joined in this movement with alacrity,
and a Provincial Convention of delegates was called to
meet at Exeter on January 25, of that year, to choose dele-
gates to attend the first Philadelphia Convention or Conti-
nental Congress, as it was called.
At a special town meeting held in Candia, July 11, Abra-
ham Fitts was chosen a delegate to the General Congress at
Exeter.
The Provincial Congress at Exeter elected Nathaniel Fol-
som and John Sullivan delegates to the Continental Con-
gress at Philadelphia.
The Continental Congress in an address to the people,
counselled them to maintain peace, harmony and
union among themselves, to practice economy, to pro-
mote manufactories, avoid law suits, improve themselves
in such military arts as would best fit them for real action
in engagements.
In response to the address, the military companies in
Candia and other towns were frequently drilled in the use
of arms.
At a town meeting held January 3, 1775, Moses Baker
was chosen a delegate to the Provincial Convention to be
held at Exeter, Januarv 25, and it was voted that the select-
men should buy a barrel of powder, flints and lead, an-
swerable thereto as a parish stock. At the same meeting
Walter Robie, Nathaniel Emerson, Samuel Mooers, Benja-
min Cass and Jacob Wo: then were chosen a committee to
inspect all persons, to ascertain their views in regard to the
affairs of the present day.
68 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Voted that Nathaniel Emerson, Moses Baker, Ensign Bean
be a committee to request ail the males in Candia, from six-
teen to sixty years of age, to meet at some convenient time
at the meeting house in order to viewing with arms and
ammunition.
At a town meeting held February 21, 1775, Nathaniel
Burpee, Abraham Fitts, Moses Baker and Ichabod Robic
were added to the Committee of Inspection.
BATTLES OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD.
On the 19th of April, a detachment of troops was sent by
General Gage from Boston, to destroy a quantity of provis-
ions and ammunition which had been collected by the
Americans, and stored at Concord. On arriving at Lexing-
ton, they were ordered to fire upon a company of about sev-
enty Americans, who had assembled upon the common,
near the meeting house of the town. The order was
obeyed, eight of the Americans fell, and the remainder re-
treated. The British troops then proceeded to Concord and
destroyed a part of the stores collected there, when they
were furiously assaulted by the citizens of Concord and the
neighboring towns. The British commander ordered a re-
treat. The Americans slowly followed, and poured in up-
on them a most destructive fire along the whole line of
march to Lexington. At that point, the retreating troops
were re-enforced by a regiment of British infantry, which
had been sent to their relief by General Gage, from Boston.
The total loss of the British, in this affair, was two hundred
and seventy-three, in killed, wounded and missing. The
Americans lost eighty-eight men.
The news of this, the first conflict of the war, spread with
great rapidity throughout all the surrounding towns. It is
said that Colonel Nathaniel Emerson received the news at
midnight, and rode up to the meeting house, firing minute
guns as he went, to arouse the inhabitants. Nine or more
of the most resolute of the able-bodied young men of the
town, volunteered to proceed to the scene of conflict. Prep-
arations for departure were hurriedly made, a supply of
provisions were placed in their knapsacks, and with their
muskets upon their shoulders they were soon on their way
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 69
to Lexington. These men from Candia were followed by
others in a day or two. When they arrived at Chester, they
were probably joined by men from Deerfield, Nottingham
and other neighboring towns, who were bound on the same
patriotic mission. Finding upon their arrival in Massachu-
setts there were no indications that hostilities would be re-
sumed immediately, some of the volunteers from Candia
returned home, while others enlisted in Massachusetts reg-
iments.
At a special town meeting, held May n, 1775, Samuel
Mooers was chosen a delegate to represent the town in the
Provincial Convention to be held at Exeter, May 17, and
Moses Baker, Abraham Fitts, Samuel Towle, Stephen Palm-
er, Nathaniel Emerson, and Jacob Worthen were chosen a
committee to give general instructions to Dr. Mooers.
The appointment of this committee shows that the citi-
zens of Candia realized the full responsibilities the colonists
were about to assume, and the necessity of proceeding
with great caution, in order that nothing should be done in
a hasty or indiscreet manner.
, At the meeting of the Provincial Congress at Exeter, May
J7» I77&, it was voted to raise two thousand men to be or-
ganized into three regiments. The commanders of these
regiments were John Stark, James Reed, and Enoch Poor.
Nathaniel Folsom was elected Major-General. The regi-
ments immediately proceeded to Cambridge, and were
placed under the command of General Artemus Ward, the
Commander-in-Chief of the Massachusetts forces.
THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL.
On the evening of June 16, orders were given to Colonel
William Prescott to occupy and fortify the heights of Bunk-
er Hill, with a detachment of one thousand men. By some
mistake, Prescott advanced to Breed"s Hill, about three-
fourths of a mile nearer to Boston, and proceeded to con-
struct intrenchments at that point.
At daybreak the next morning, the British General opene i
a heavy artillery fire upon the works of the Americans, but
without much effect. Early in the afternoon, a large body
of troops, which were sent over from Boston in boats by
7o
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
General Gage, to attack the American works. The British
columns were twice repulsed with great loss. On the third
assault, the Americans, who had expended their ammuni-
tion, were compelled to retreat.
The British loss at the battle was one thousand and fifty-
four, in killed, wounded and missing. The American loss
was four hundred and fifty-three men.
The powder used by the New Hampshire troops in this
battle was a part of that captured from Fort William and
Mary.
Seven men, who belonged in Candia, were present in this
battle. They were enlisted in Captain Hezekiah Hutchins'
Company, of Colonel James Reed's Regiment, of New
Hampshire. The following are the names, ages, time of
enlistment, etc., of each. After the names of the killed and
wounded, are the losses in arms, clothing, etc., as certified
by Samuel Herbert Martin, and the amount paid for the
same :
Names.
Enlisted.
Age.
19
36
May 4,
a tt
18
c < it
19
c t c t
" 6
i i it
25
19
28
Occupation.
Husbandman,
Remarks.
Private,
Sergeant
Private killed
" wounded
" wounded
Clifford John,
Hills John,
Hills Parker,
Knowles Amos,
Morrill Samuel,
Morrison John,
Varnum John.
The following is a statement of the losses sustained at
o
the battle by the above Candia soldiers :
John Clifford, 1 coat. 1 blanket, 1 shirt, 1 pair trousers,
1 pair stockings, and 1 pack. Paid 2 pounds, 4 shillings.
Parker Hills paid 5 pounds, 3 shillings, 2 pence.
Amos Knowles, 1 coat, 1 blanket, 1 shirt, 1 pair stock-
ings, 1 knapsack. Paid 1 pound, 12 shillings.
Samuel Morrill, 1 blanket, 2 jackets, 1 shirt, 2 pair trous-
ers, 1 pair stockings, 1 pack, 1 gun. Paid 4 shillings, 19
pence.
John Varnum. 1 blanket, 1 gun, 1 shirt, 1 coat, r pack.
Paid 5 pounds, 1 shilling.
John Wentworth, who was the last Governor of New
Hampshire, and was appointed to the office by a British
King, found the position too hot for him after the battle of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 7 1
Bunker Hill, and fled from his residence at Portsmouth to
the Isles of Shoals, and soon afterwards he went to Eng-
land.
After the abdication of Governor Wentworth and the dis-
solution of the royal government, New Hampshire, for a
short time, had no regularly appointed rulers. A conven-
tion was held at Exeter, May 17, 1775, to establish a pro-
visional government. One hundred and two towns were
represented by one hundred and thirty-two delegates.
The convention which assembled at Exeter, made pro-
visions for calling a new convention which should more
fully represent the people. A new convention promptly
assembled, drew up a temporary form of government which
assumed the name of House of Representatives, adopted a
constitution, and chose twelve men to constitute a distinct
and co-ordinate branch of the government called the Coun-
cil. Meshech Weare was appointed president of the Coun-
cil and president of the Executive Committee of Safety.
CANDIA SOLDIERS AT CAMBRIDGE IN 1 775.
The following is a list of the rr.ncs cl (nc"a men
who were enlisted and served in Captain Coggswell s com-
pany, of Colonel Loammi Baldwin's regiment, of Massa-
chusetts, from April ist to August 24th, 1775:
John Bagley, Sewell Brown, Nathan Burpee, John Clay,
Silas Cammet, Thomas Dearborn, Lieutenant Moses Dus-
tin, Jesse Eaton, Jacob Flanders, Jonathan Green, David
Hill, Drummer, Isaac Knowles, James McClure, Samuel
Mooers, Philip Morse, Moses Morse, Stephen Palmer, Ber-
nard Pollard, Ezekiel Pollard, Enoch Rowell, Sergeant, Ro-
bert Wilson, James Eaton, Joseph Long.
At Bunker Hill, Samuel Morrill received a ball in his loins in
consequence of which he was partially paralyzed. He was
treated in a hospital in Cambridge for several weeks, for
which the Government paid 2 pounds, 19 shillings, 5 pence.
It is said that John Hills, while lying upon his back in
the act of loading his gun, a spent ball, which was fired by
a British soldier, struck one of his feet without doing him
much harm, and that he endeavored to return it to the orig-
inal owner, but found it. too large for his gun.
i6
1-4
lb
< <
o
16
o
1 1
o
0
o
t i
8
12
o
1 1
o
O
1-2
i t
21
II
o
1 1
6
8
1-2
t c
7
72 HISTORY OF CAXDIA.
Soon after the battle of Bunker Hill, a very large body of
troops were in camp at Cambridge and Charlestown to
watch the British army, which was quartered in Boston,
and prevent it from making further advances into the coun-
try.
The following is a return of the number of cartridge
boxes, cartridges, the amount of powder and number of
balls in the possesssion of the Candia soldiers, who be-
longed to Captain CoggswelFs company, at Sewell's Point,
December 21, 1775 :
Silas Cammet, 1 box, 7 cartridges, o powder, 5 balls.
Samuel Mooers, 1 "
Robert Wilson, o "
John Clay, 1 "
Jeremiah Towle, 1 "
Jesse Eaton, 1 "
Stephen Palmer, 1 "
James McClure, 1 "
In June, 1776, General Washington was chosen Com-
mander in Chief of the American army by the Continental
Congress. In a few weeks afterwards he arrived at Cam-
bridge and took command of the troops stationed there.
He immediately proceeded to discipline the recruits and
make preparations for driving the British army from Bos-
ton. Forts were built at various points on the land side of
the town. The siege continued until March, 1776, when
Washington took possession of Dorchester Heights, a point
within a short distance from the British camp, and es-
tablished heavy batteries there.
On the 17th of March, St. Patrick's Day, everything was in
readiness to bombard the town. General Gage was filled with
dismay as he saw his danger, and hastened to open nego-
tiations with Washington in regard to the state of affairs.
It was finally agreed that the British general should be al-
lowed to embark his troops upon his ships and withdraw
from the town. In a day or two, the British fleet with the
army on board, sailed out of Boston harbor and proceeded
to Halifax. The next day Washington, at the head of
his troops, marched into Boston to the great joy of the in-
habitants.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 73
During the siege, many Candia men were on duty at
Cambridge and Charlestown, but when the British army
retired they returned to their homes.
On the first of December, 1775, the troops stationed at
Winter Hill from Connecticut refused to tarry longer in
service there, and General Suli van, who had been appointed a
Brigadier-General, urged the Committee of Safety to send
men from New Hampshire at once to fill their places.
Thirty companies were accordingly immediately raised in
the various towns in the state, and a large part of them
were sent to Winter Hill. Captain Moses Baker, of Candia,
was Captain of the Eleventh company, Joseph Dearborn,
1st Lieutenant, and Benjamin Cass, 2nd Lieutenant. These
troops were called The Six Weeks Men.
ASSOCIATION TEST.
In April, 1776, the Committee of Safety in New Hamp-
shire, acting in accordance with the wishes of the Conti-
nental Congress, sent to each town a circular, a copy of
which is given below :
Select Men of Candia.
In Committee of Safety, April 12, 1770.
In order to carry the underwritten Resolves of the Hon-
orable Continental Congress into execution, you are re-
quested to desire all males above twenty-one years of age,
(lunatics, idiots and Negroes excepted,) to sign to the dec-
laration on this paper ; and when so done, to make return
hereof together with the name or names of all who shall re-
fuse to sign the same, to the General Assembly or Commit-
tee of Safety of this Colony.
M. WEARE, Chairman.
In Congress, March 14, 1776.
Resolved, That it be recommended to the several Assem-
blies, Conventions, and Councils, or Committees of Safety,
of the United Colonies, immediately to cause all persons to
be disarmed within their respective Colonies, who are no-
toriously disaffected to the cause of America, or who have
not associated, and refuse to associate, to defend by arms,
74 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the United Colonies against the hostile attempts of the Brit-
ish fleets and armies.
Extract from the minutes.
(Copy.) CHARLES THOMPSON, Secy.
In consequence of the above resolution of the Hon. Con-
tinental Congress, and to show our determination in join-
our American brethren in defending the lives, liberties and
properties of the inhabitants of the United Colonies.
We, the subscribers, do hereby solemnly engage and
promise, that we will to the utmost of our power, at the
risk of our lives and fortunes, with arms, oppose the hos-
tile proceedings of the British fleets and armies against the
United American Colonies.
William Baker, John Clay, Thomas Dearborn, Jonathan
Pillsbury, Samuel Dearborn, Enoch Rowell, James Eaton,
Nathaniel Emerson, Samuel Mooers, Ezekiel Knowles, Wal-
ter Robie, Abraham Fitts, Nathaniel Maxfield, Moses Baker,
Nicholas Smith, Thomas Emery, Benjamin Batchelder,
Enoch Colby, John Lane, Jonathan Smith, Robert Wilson,
John Sargent, Joseph Palmer, James Varnum, Thomas Pat-
ten, Benjamin Hubbard, Samuel Buswell, Henry Clark,
Elijah True, John Clark, Zachariah Clifford, Samuel Brown,
Daniel Hall, Benjamin Cass, Jonathan Brown, John Hills,
John Colby, Aaron Brown, William Eaton, William Turner,
Jethro Hill, Obadiah Hall, Robert Smart, Sherburne Rowe,
Moses Sargent, David Bean, Joseph Fifield, Thomas Ander-
son, Obediah Smith, Stephen Fifield, Ebenezer Eaton, James
Miller, Theophilus Clough, Robert Wason, Benjamin Row-
ell, Jonathan Hills, Paul Eaton, Nathaniel Burpee, Samuel
Morrill, David Hill, Jeremiah Burpee, William Hills, Samu-
el Towle, Nicholas French, John Cammet, Simon French,
Stephen Palmer, Samuel Clough, Benaiah Colby, Nehemiah
Brown, David Jewett, Daniel Dolber, Samuel Worthen, John
Carr, John Moor, Sewell Brown, James Prescott, Hugh Me-
dellan, Stephen Palmer, Jim., Jonathan Bagley, Jonathan
Ring, John Prescott, Zebulon Winslow, Joshua Moore, Rich-
ard Clough, Amos Knowles, Stephen Clark, Obedom Hall,
Jesse Eaton, John Clifford, Benjamin Fellows, John Sar-
gent, Jonathan Cammet, Biley Smith, Ephraim Eaton,
Jacob Bagley.
CHAPTER XL
THF WAE OF THE REVOLUTION— (Continued.)
On the 4th of July, 1776, the American Congress at Phila-
delphia declared that the United American Colonies were
a free and independent nation. This declaration was re-
ceived in all the colonies with the heartiest demonstrations
of satisfaction. Within fourteen days it was published in
all the shire towns of New Hampshire. At Exeter, it was
read by the patriotic Oilman to a great assemblage of citi-
zens. The citizens of Candia were in no sense behind
their fellow citizens of other towns in the country, in giving
expression to their approval of the action of the Continent;
al Congress at Philadelphia.
During the early part of the year of 1776, the assembly of
New Hampshire voted to raise 2,000 men to be divided into
four regiments. The men were raised, and a part were
sent to reinforce the army in New York and a part were or-
dered to Canada. The battles of Trenton and Princeton
took place this year. Many New Hampshire troops were
engaged in these battles.
During the latter part of the year 1776, there was an ur-
gent call for troops to re-enforce the army in the field, and
also for the purpose of organizing other expeditions to op-
pose the enemy. The Committee of Safety of New Hamp-
shire were earnest in their endeavors to raise the men re-
quired. Major-General Folsom, who acted under the orders
of the Committee of Safety, was in constant correspondence
with the field officers of the regiments, upon the subject of
securing the necessary numbers of men. John Webster, of
Chester, was at that time the Colonel of the 17th regiment,
and Nathaniel Emerson, of Candia, was Lieutenant-Colonel.
The following letters from Colonel Webster to Lieutenant-
Colonel Emerson, explain themselves :
Chester, Dec. 24, 1776.
Colonel Emerson :
Sir, — I must request of you that you notify
75
76 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the men that are enlisted in Candia to go to New York, that
they appear at my house next Saturday, at ten of the clock
in the forenoon, all complete and fit to march. Of the
men's names that have enlisted are Paul Eaton, John Clark,
Amos Knowles, John Clay, Jun.
Sir, in complying with the above you will oblige,
yours, John Webster, CoL
Exeter, March 22, 1777.
Colonel Emerson :
Enclosed are orders for raising men, and as
I am not at home, neither can be very soon, I must entreat
and require of you that you take the utmost care and pains
as fast as possible to get men, and that you call upon the
other officers to assist, and also upon the selectmen, if need
b'e, and to inform them that it is the opinion of the court
that the shortest time for a town or parish meeting in this
case will be sufficient, In case the people are notified, it
may happen that there will be no need for meetings.
I think it will be best to get the officers together as soon
as possible, to make a proportion of all the men to be
raised with each captain, and I should be glad, that if agree-
able to you, you might meet next Tuesday. As our town
meeting is next Thursday, it may be of some advantage to
our town meeting in raising their proportion. In comply-
ing with the above and using your best endeavors will be
very pleasing and gratefully acknowledged by yours,
John Webster, Col.
The enclosed orders referred to were written by Josiah
Bartlett, of Exeter.
THE BATTLE OF BENNINGTON.
Early in July, 1777, information was received in New
Hampshire that General Burgoyne, with a strong force, was
about to march from Canada to attack the Continental Army
in Northern New York. The New Hampshire Legislature
hastily assembled to consider the state of affairs, and to de-
vise measures to raise troops to take the field at once. Gen-
eral Stark was given the command of several regiments,
and appointed No. Four, now Charlestown, as the place of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 77
rendezvous. The yeomanry of New Hampshire quickly
rallied to his standard. Being invited by the Green Moun-
tain Boys to lead them against the enemy, he forthwith
sent 400 or 500 men to Manchester, a town twenty miles
northeast of Bennington, and soon followed with the re-
mainder of his forces.
On the 4th of August, Nathaniel Emerson, ofCandia, who
was Lieutenant-Colonel of Colonel Stickney's regiment, was
sent by General Stark to the valley of Otter Creek to collect
stores. Also, to watch the tories, and to prevent them from
making a flank movement in favor of the British invaders.
On the 9th of August, a courier arrived at Stark's quarters
with the intelligence that a force of 150 Indians had arrived
at Cambridge, a town about twelve miles distant, and on
the night of the same day, it was learned that Colonel
Baum, with a large force consisting of infantry, artillery
and 150 Indians, had arrived at that point. Swift couriers
were at once sent to Emerson to return immediately to
headquarters, and a message was also sent to Colonel
Warner, the commander of a Vermont body of militia, to
hasten to Stark's support.
On the 14th of August, Stark moved his whole force west-
ward across the Walloomosack river, when he met Gregg
falling back before a superior force of the enemy. Finding
the ground unsuitable for a general action, Stark retired
with his forces about a mile and encamped, intending to
make an attack that day when his expected re-enforcements
should have arrived.
Col. Baum selected a position upon two hills, situated
half a mile west of the dividing line between Vermont and
New York, and the battle was fought in the latter state.
On the 15th of August, there was a great rain storm, and
neither army was in a condition to fight a battle.
All that day and the greater portion of the night was spent
by the British forces in strengthening their position. At
midnight, Baum received a despatch from Colonel Breyman
that re-enforcements would reach him the next day.
Stark had failed to get reliable information of Breyman's
approach, but his promptness and energy probably saved
him from the results of Baum's strategy.
78 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
On the 1 6th of August, Stark, who had his forces aug-
mented by the Berkshire men from Massachusetts, resolved
to attack the main body. His force now amounted to six-
teen hundred men. Colonel Nichols, with two hundred
men, was ordered to the rear of the enemy's left wing; and
Colonel Herrick, with three hundred, to the rear of their
right. Three hundred men were ordered to attack them in
front, and draw their attention. Then, sending Colonels
Hubbard and Stickney, with two hundred, to attack the
rieht wins:, and one hundred more to reinforce Nichols in
the rear of their left, the battle commenced by an attack on
the rear of the left wing, at precisely three o'clock in the
afternoon. It was immediately seconded by the other de-
tachments, and, at the same time. Stark himself advanced
with the main body. For two hours the Hessians fought
bravely ; but, overwhelmed by numbers, and their en-
trenchments assaulted by yet braver troops, they were ov-
erpowered. The Americans forced their entrenchments,
and they fled in disorder. But carelessness had now well
nigh lost what valor had Avon. The Americans, apprehend-
ing no danger, dispersed in search of plunder and fugitives.
Suddenly the reinforcements sent to Baum arrived, and fell
furiously upon the scattered Americans.
Lieutenant-Colonel Emerson, who had made a hurried
march from Otter Creek, arrived within a few miles of the
battle field early in the afternoon of August 16th, when he
halted to rest and refresh his men. In a short time he
heard the roar of the battle and the march of his troops was
hastily resumed. He arrived near the scene of the conflict
at about the same time that Breyman, with his re-enforce-
ments had come to the relief of Baum. Emerson's forces
were soon united with those of Colonel Warner, which, for-
tunately, had just arrived, and a nucleus was immediately
formed, around which the demoralized troops who had
been engaged in the first battle rallied.
The battle lasted till night, when the enemy, retreating
under cover of the darkness, made good their escape. Four
pieces of cannon, with all the baggage wagons and horses
of the enemy, were the trophies of the victory. Two hun-
dred and twenty-six men were found dead on the field of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 79
battle. Colonel Baum, mortally wounded, was taken ; be-
sides whom thirty-three officers and seven hundred privates
were made prisoners. Of Stark's brigade, four officers and
ten privates were killed, and forty-two were wounded.
The following is a list of the names of Candia soldiers
who were enlisted in Captain Stephen Dearborn's Company,
in Colonel Thomas Stickney's Regiment of General Stark's
Brigade, which marched from Chester and joined the Conti-
nental Army :
John Bagley, John Cammet, Joseph Cass, Sergeant, John
Clay, Anthony Clifford, Israel Clifford, Enoch Colby, Thom-
l as Dearborn, Sergeant, Samuel Dearborn, Benjamin Eaton,
Moses Emerson, Benjamin Fellows, Captain Nathaniel
Maxfield, John Moore, Samuel Mooers, Ichabod Robie, Ben-
jamin Smith, Amos Knowles, James Libby, Benjamin Wad-
leigh, Oliver Smith, Thomas Wilson, Philip Morse, Joseph
Pillsbury, Robert Wilson, Jun.
These men were enlisted July 21, 1777, and were dis-
charged September 28.
The decisive victory at Bennington gave great joy to the
American people. The colonies had long been depressed
by disaster and defeat ; but when the result of the battle
was known throughout the country, all true Republicans
felt assured that a more glorious victory over their British
oppressors would not long be delayed.
Among those who aided in securing the triumph of the
American cause at Bennington, none were more active and
faithful in the performance of their duties than Colonel Em-
erson, and none were more deserving of the honors which
have been bestowed upon them than he.
CHAPTER XII.
THE WAR OF THE REVOLUTION— (Continued.)
On January 18, 1777, the General Assembly at Exeter
passed an act for regulating prices with the following pre-
amble :
" Whereas the exorbitant prices of the necessary and con-
venient articles of life, and also of labor, within this state,
at this time of distress (unless speedily and effectually rem-
edied) will be attended with the most fatal and pernicious
consequences."
The act fixes among others the following prices :
on
Dl'
At a town meeting held May 19, 1777, Moses Baker, Wal-
ter Robie, Abraham Fitts, and Benjamin Cass were chosen
a committee to affix and settle prices in addition to the reg-
ulation act.
January 19, 1778, a committee was appointed to procure
our quota of Continental soldiers for three years or during
the war, and at an adjournment, in February, another com-
80
s. d.
s. d.
Wheat,
7 6
Sugar,
0 8
Rye,
4 5
Molasses,
3 4
•Corn,
3 6
Salt,
10 0
Oats,
3 0
Coffee,
I 4
Peas,
8 0
Cotton,
3 §
Beans,
6 0
Flax,
1 0
Potatoes, in fall,
1 4
Wool,
2 0
Potatoes at any season,
2 0
Stockings per pair,
6 0
Cheese,
0 6
Flannel per
yard,
3 0
Butter,
0 10
Tow Cloth,
2 3
Pork, from 100 to
140
lbs.
, 0 41-2
Coarse Linens,
4 0
Pork, from 140 to
200
lbs.
, 0 5
Cot'n, or C.
& linen
,3.8
Raw Hides,
0 3
Good N. E. bar iron,
40 0
Sole Leather,
1 6
Farm labor in sum.,
3 4
West India Rum,
6 8
Mechanics
. in prop
or-
N. England Rum,
3 10
tion, as to usage.
SAMUEL DUDLEY.
Sketch, page 508.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 8 1
mittee of five was chosen to make further trial at once.
April 20, the committee was instructed to make further
trial, and hire money and pursue the business without loss
of time.
In the early part of August, Captain Moses Baker marcheed
from Candia with a company of men, which was raised in
Chester, Raymond and Candia, to join in opposing the at-
tempt of Burgoyne to send an army to New York through
Vermont ; but he did not arrive at Bennington in time to
participate in the battle at that place. His company was
attached to Lieutenant-Colonel Welch's regiment of Gener-
al Whipple's brigade, and marched to Saratoga. This com-
pany was engaged in the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga.
The following are the names of the officers and privates :
Moses Baker, Captain; Abraham Fitts, Lieutenant; Jona-
than Bagley, Ensign; Isaiah Rowe and Jonathan Clifford,
Sergeants; Sewell Brown, Jonathan Ring, John Sargent,
Nathaniel Burpee, Jacob Clifford, Benjamin Hubbard, Rich-
ard Clough, Stephen Palmer, Enoch Rowell, James Haz-
zard, Silas Cammet, Samuel Bagley, John Hills, Jesse Eat-
on, Privates.
AN OLD DOCUMENT.
Copy of a diary kept by Lieutenant Abraham Fitts, of
'Captain Moses Baker's company of volunteers, who marched
from Candia, and joined the Northern Continental army at
Saratoga, in September, 1777 :
Inlisted Saturday ye 27 of Sept 1777.
Met & Drawd powder tuesday ye 30 of Sept.
Marcht from Browns on friday ye 3d of October to hoyts
in amesburytown, Robies in perrytown 6 miles to Lanes in
Fisherfield 22 miles from hopkinton meeting house. Hani-
ka is Southerd from Lanes.
Lodgd at Clarks in fisherfield 5 mile from Lanes by Great
Sunnepy.
Marcht Saturday ye 4th from Clarks to grouts 21 mile from
Clarks, thro part of Saville by E Bradburys then in unity by
Judkins * * * to grouts at No. 4.
Sabbath October ye 5th marcht from Grouts to No Joy-
•town [?] 3 mile then over the ferry to Reeds in Rocking-
6
82 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ham in the State of Vermont 3 mile & Logd a Sabbath Day
night.
Marcht ye 6th on monday morning from Reeds & marcht
by Chandlers in Chester to ottersons in Kent 20 miles & put
up & Lost ye Little Bag.
Octobr ye 7th tuesday morning marcht from ottersons by
Capt Rogerss in Kent & Barlows in Brumley & thro part of
winhall 20 mile to Aliens in manchester.
Octobr ye 8 on Wednesday morning from aliens by head
Quarters in manchester Southerly through part of Sunder-
land & turnd Short to the Right hand westerly thro allenton
& thro Sunderland * * * in Southerly to Camebridge 27
miles to Besses.
thursday morning oct ye 9 : marcht from Besses in Cam-
bridge by the Frame of a meeting house a Crooked Road to
Botten kills by tiffs mills twelve miles to house owned by
Nathan tanner.
Friday morning oct ye 10 at twelve o'clock precisely Lar-
umd & marcht to Saratogue from thenc to the mouth of the
River above Slytars after the Regulars & marcht Back again
to our Lodging a tiffsmills.
Saturday October ye 1 1 marcht from Lodging at Bottenkil
mills to ye Lines at ye Narrows at Bottenkil went to In-
trenching.
I came Back with the horses & Sargent Row & Deacon
hill to our Lodging & there Staid.
Sabbath morning ye 12th went up to the Brest work and
Back again.
monday ye 13 went up again and Carried half a Bushel
of potatoes.
ye 14th tuesday Sessation on arms I went up & hazzad
came Down & Back.
ye 15 Wednesday Staid to home at tanners & went Down
to Saratogee Sessation Day again.
ye 16 went up to the Lines & worked and Sessation but
all alarmed till 2 o:Clock & came back.
ye 17 Friday Mr. Burgoyne marcht off the Ground & Genl
Gates marcht In Then w n marcht to Saratoge put up in a
Barn
Saturday ye 18: marcht from Saratoge to Still water &
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 83
went Down below for a Front Guard & put up in a Barn 16
mil * .
Sabbath ye 19th marcht from the Barn in Scattercook to
tyeoxyok and Capt Baker & I put up at Colo Derwent in
Cambridge 1 2 miles.
monday ye 20 11 o clock marcht from Dertworts in St
Croix Cambridge to Abbotts in Sd St Croix & it Raind while
towards Day & then Snowd till morning 5 miles.
tuesday 21st Early in the morning marcht from Abbotts
by Duch husack thro pownall into williamstown by the
meeting house 20 odd mile to Thos Duttens & it snowd
most all Day.
ye 2 2d Staid at Duttons in williams Town.
23 march from Duttens to meckenes 2 mile,
ye 24 march from meckeenes by Williamstown meeting
house thro Lanesborough into pitsfield to Beldens by the
Iron works 18 mile & 1-2.
Saturday ye 25 marcht from Beldens by pitsfield meeting
house to graveses 6 mile
Sabbath ye 26 march from Grav * * over hoosick mount-
ain to pearses in partridgfield to mile.
monday ye 27 marcht from pearses to agars in worthen-
ton and Drawd some Salt meat & then was Dismised by
Coll Weltch in a rage & went to Niles:s the Blacksmith &
staid & left Capt Baker Behind 2 miles.
tuesday morning 28 marcht from Niless by herricks the
tavern in Chesterfield to Kings and staid & eat pork & cab-
bage * & itt Snowd & haild & Raind a very Severe Storm in-
deed 4 miles
Wednesday ye 29th marcht from Eleazer kings by fair-
fields town in Williamsburg & thro N: hampton over the
Ferry to old hadley to one Smiths & Staid all Night & left
Capt Baker & Silas Cammet Behind 15 miles.
Thursday ye 30th of October marcht from Smiths In had-
ley into amherst by the meeting house & took Breakfast at
Joseph Easmans got the meeting house in Shutesbury about
one o:clock by a Stone pound went on thro New Salem to
petersham by the meeting house 3-4 of a mile to Clemmon-
ses — 30 mile.
Friday ye 31st marcht from Clemmenses in petersham by
84 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
templeton meeting house & it Stood a Little one Side of the
way at the Right hand to martains in Lunnenburgh mile &
half from the meetting house 27 mile.
Saturday ye 1st of Novembr 1777. march from martains
by lunnenburgh meeting house & townsind meeting house
Stood on a hill to Gyles- & took Breakfast then to hollis by
the meetinghouse then thro merrimack over the River 'to
Litchfield & put up at Widow Parkers 30 mile,
mr hubbard paid for milk at Cockrans c— 2 — 10
I paid at aliens in manchester for 4 Suppers &
mare keeping c — 4- 6
Sargent Rowe paid at Besses for keeping mare
in Cambridge o— 1 — o
for a loaf of bread o — 2 — o
octobr: ye 10th mr hubard paid — 10
Sergnt Rowe paid o — o — 3
oct: ye 21 Sewal paid — o — o — 9
oct ye 23 I paid at Duttens o — 2 — 3
Sargnt Rowe paid o — o — 9
Due to Sewal Brown from me ' o — o — 4
Due from mr hubbard to me o — 0 :4
Due to Sewal from Sargent Rowe c — o — 3
Sewal owes mr hubbard — o — o — 5
A Fitts J Rowe Ste palmer E Rowel 6d piece to J
Clifford for Cyder.
Joseph Clifford owes me 1— o : 5
Lieutenant Fitts reached Candia on Sunday, November 21.
The above diary is given here as an illustration of the
simplicity of the habits of the men who fought to secure the
liberties of the country, and the difference between the man-
ner of performing long journeys which prevailed a hundred
years -Ago, when there were no stages or steam cars, or few
if any carriages, and that which prevails at the present day.
Lieutenant Fitts, though his knowledge of the principles
of grammar was limited, was a man of soundjudgment and
intelligence in the management of public as well as private
affairs.
Captain Baker's company proceeded from Candia to Sar-
atoga by the way of Henniker, Fisherville, Bradford, Unity,
No. 4 now Charlestown, Rockingham to Chester, Sunder-
HISTORY OE CANDIA. 85
land, Arlington, to Saratoga. They returned home by an-
other route soon after the surrender of Burgoyne.
BATTLES OF STILLWATER AND SARATOGA.
After the battle of Bennington, the soldiers from many
parts of New England rushed to the standard of General
Gate, the commander of the Northern Continental army,
who soon found himself at the head of five thousand men.
On the 12th of September, 1777, Burgoyne crossed the Hud-
son, and on the 17th moved forward to Saratoga and en-
camped within three miles of the American army. The
next day, the battle of Stillwater took place. It began by
skirmishes between the scouting parties of both sides, and,
in a short time, the whole of both armies were engaged.
The Americans took refuge in a dense wood, from which
they t o-."" ed a g- Hing fire. The British lines were soon bro-
ken, the Americans made a charge and pursued the enemy
to an eminence, when they rallied and charged in their
turn and the Americans were driven into the woods, from
which they again poured a deadly fire. Again the British
fell back and, at every charge which was made upon them,
their artillery fell into the hands of the Americans. Night
soon put an end to the contest, and the Americans retired
to their camp having lost between three and four hundred
men. The British lost over five hundred.
On the 7th of October, a general battle was fought at Sar-
atoga. The Americans, under General Poor, commenced
the battle by making an attack on the left flank of the ene-
my, while Morgan attacked the right. In about an hour the
British gave way. The Americans pursued them to their
entrenchments and night coming on the battle ceased. The
Americans rested on their arms that night upon the field.
The next day Burgoyne, finding himself completely sur_
rounded and that his supplies were completely cut off,
surrendered his whole armyof five thousand, seven hun-
dred and fifty-two men as prisoners of war. Thirty-five
field pieces and five thousand stand of arms fell into the
hands of the Amercans.
After the battle of Bennington, Lieutenant-Colonel Emer-
son was engaged in guard and supply duty. On the 31st
86 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
of August, he was addressed by General Stark respecting
an expedition he had conducted to Otter Creek. On Sep-
tember 8, he was requested to order a corporals' guard from
his command, to take cattle and bring them from pasture.
Again Stark ordered him to send prisoners under his care, as
Major Rensalear might request an examination, understand-
ing that they had been reported to be tories.
The following is an order to Colonel Emerson from Gen-
eral Stark by Adjutant General John Casey : " Please to
order or detach one corporal and three men from your party
as a guard. Take care of the cattle delivered into your
custody by the leader. They are to be brought back from
the pasture in the afternoon."
In September, 1776, two more regiments were raised in
this state, to re-enforce the Continental army in New York.
In the seventh company of one of these regiments, which
was commanded by Colonel Thomas Tash, Samuel Bus-
well, of Candia, was Ensign, and Ichabod Robie, William
Anderson, Moses Turner, John Morrison, John Clifford,
Samuel Mooers, Thomas Wilson, also of Candia, were pri-
vates. The regiment was stationed at one time at Fishkill,
N. Y.
At a town meeting, held January 19, 177S, it was voted
that Colonel Nathaniel Emerson, Lieutenant Samuel Towle
and Mr. Thomas Dearborn be a committee to procure our
quota of Continental soldiers during the war or for three
years, and that they be empowered to procure them in the
best manner and the most reasonable rate they can, and
make return of their doings at the adjournment of that meet-
ing.
Feb. 2. "Voted that the vote passed upon the 25th of
April, 1777, is reconsidered, and that the money voted to
those persons that has done service in the war in times
past be applied in hiring our quota of men for the Continen-
tal Army.'"
Adjourned meeting, February 8, '78.
" Voted to choose a committee of five to make further
trial to procure our quota of Continental soldiers : Lieuten-
ant Jacob Worthen, Walter Robie, Esq., Major Moses Bak-
er, Mr. John Clay, and Mr. Jeremiah Bean be a committee.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 87
"Voted that the selectmen hire money to procure our
quota of Continental soldiers as they shall stand in need
until it can be raised by way of tax."
At an adjourned meeting held April 25, 1778, it was voted
to accept the report of the committee, which was appointed
to make inquiry as to what time and money was expended
in supporting- the war since the Concord fight, which is as
follows, viz. :
Concord men at one shilling per day and extra charges.
Eight men with Lieutenant Emerson, four dollars each.
Ditto with Lieutenant Dusten, four dollars each.
Winter Hill men with Captain Baker, one dollar each.
One year's men to New York, one dollar each.
Ditto to Deleware, two dollars each.
Tyconderoga men, thirteen dollars each.
New York men last year, two dollars each.
Joseph Bean to Canada, twenty dollars.
At a town meeting held August 3, 1778, it was \ oted that
Walter Robie, Jonathan Brown and John Lane be a com-
mittee to take into consideration and make inquiry into the
condition of the families of those now commissioned offi-
cers and private soldiers, who have engaged in the Conti-
nental service for their parish for three years.
At a town meeting held October 26, 1779, it was voted
that the parish comply with the prices stated by the Colo-
nial and State Convention, and that John Lane, Jacob Wor-
then, Caleb Brown, John Clifford, Benjamin Batchelder and
Edward Robie be a committee to state the prices upon ar-
ticles not mentioned by the convention, and they were em-
powered to act from time to time, until the next annual
meeting.
At a town meeting held July 10, 1780, it was voted that
Jeremiah Bean, Silas Cammet, Walter Baker, Zebulon Wins-
low be appointed a committee to assist the selectmen in
providing a quota of beef for the Continental army.
At a meeting held September 25, 1780, it was voted not
to accept the plan laid before the committee that was chos-
en, to make an average of what is done by the militia in
this parish since the beginning of the war with Britain.
At a meeting held February 5, 1781, it was voted that
88
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
John Carr, Walter Robie, Jeremiah Bean, David Bean dna
Edward Robie be a committee to complete our quota of
Continental soldiers, agreeable to an act of the General
Court.
PAY ROLL OF CAPTAIN I.iOSES BAKEr's COMPANY, WHICH MARCHED
FROM CANDIA TO JOIN THE CONTINENTAL ARMY AT SARATOGA.
Moses Baker, Captain, time of services, i month, 27 days,
paid 15 pounds, 4 shillings.
Abraham Fitts, time of service, 1 month, 8 days, paid 10
pounds, 3 shillings, 2 pence.
Jonathan Bagley, Ensign, time [of service, 1 month, &
days, paid 7 pounds, 12 shillings.
Isaiah Rowe, Sergeant, 6 pounds, 4 shillings, 2 pence.
Travel of the company out, 161 miles, 3 pounds, 2 shil-
ling's, 3 pence. Travel home, 109 miles, 10 shillings, S
pence. Whole amount, 9 pounds, 1 shilling, 1 penny.
The privates were paid in wages, 3 pounds and 3 shil-
lings each, and for travel out and home, 2 pounds, 16 shil-
lings, 1 pence. Total amount, 8 pounds, 10 shillings, 11
pence.
The following is a record of the six months men raised
in Candia, in 1781 and 1782, as returned to the state author-
ities by the selectmen of the town:
David Bagley, Daniel Libbey, John Lovering, Ezekiel
Smith. Peter Cammet, Moses Norris, Benjamin Sanborn,
Nehemiah Leavitt, William Patten, John Caldwell, John
Kent, Jonathan Norris, Ebenezer Eaton, John Moore, Jason
Hazard.
The following is a list of the names of men from Candia
as returned by Colonel John Webster, in 1781 :
John Wason, Nathaniel Underhill, Jonathan Davis, Thom-
as Anderson.
The total amount of the abatement of the taxes of soldiers,
in Candia, made in the taxes for the year 1775, was 13
pounds, 10 shillings.
Moses Dusten was a captain in the second New Hamp-
shire regiment, in 1781.
The following is a copy of a bill which was presented by
the State of New Hampshire to the United States Govern-
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
89
ment for services in a campaign in Rhode Island :
" The United States to the State of New Hampshire, Dr.
Brigadier-General Whipple's Staff Roll— Volunteers to-
Rhode Island, in 1778.
Colonel Moses Nichols' Staff Roll. Subsistence to Na-
thaniel Emerson, Lieutenant-Colonel. £ s d
26 days at 4-10, 3 l& °
To John Webster, Major, 26 days at 3-7, 2 18
Captain Joseph Dearborn's Co. No. 7, Nichols'
Regiment commissioned officers, 22 10 8
3 Sergeants, 2 mos., 8 days, at 60 s., 7 16 o
3 Corporals, 4 mos., 18 days, at 44 s., 5 14 5
For Privates in full, 26 mos., 26 days, at
40 s., 53 H 8
4175 miles at 1 d. out, 17 7 I!
5175 do. home at 1 d. , 17 7
Captains' subsistence, 26 days, at 45 s. , o 19
1 1
o
Lieuts. and Ensigns' subs't, 26 each, at 23 s., 1 19 8
40 Horses, o 19
2
129 8 5.
Lieutenant Thomas Dearborn, who served at various
times and places in the Revolutionary army, was serving as
a Lieutenant at Rhode Island in Colonel Peabody's regi-
ment, in 1778, where our forces were co-operating with the
French fleet to expel the British from that state. On Au-
gust 28, he was killed by a cannon ball, which was fired
from a British battery. It is said that, when he fell, one
of his soldiers, who had been badly wounded in the leg,
was endeavoring to get to the rear, but could make little
progress without assistance. Lieutenant Dearborn immedi-
ately came up to help him along, when his men shouted to
him to look out for himself and get out of the range of the
British artillery. He refused to leave the wounded man
alone to perish. The two men were making good progress,
towards the rear, while the enemy were rapidly advancing.
Just at the moment when Dearborn was helping the soldier
over a stone wall, a cannon ball struck him in the head and
killed him instantly. The wounded soldier, by creeping
along behind the wall, escaped.
90 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
At that time, many of the officers carried a gun in the
army, as well as a sword, and Lieutenant Dearborn had
his gun in his hands when he fell.
He came to Candia from Chester about the year 1764, and
settled on the lot near the Congregational Meeting House,
where the late Nathaniel B. Hall resided many years. He
married Mary Morrison, who was brought up in the family
of Captain Moses Baker. They had four children, viz. :
David, John, Thomas and Samuel. The last mentioned
was the father of the late Leonard Dearborn, and the
grandfather of Leonard F. Dearborn, who resides at East
Candia.
The gun which Lieutenant Dearborn carried at the time
he was killed came into the possession of Honorable Abra-
ham Emerson, and the sword is now owned by Isaac Fitts.
The widow of Lieutenant Dearborn married Joseph faint-
er and had another family.
Many years ago, a story was current in the town to the
effect that, one day the wife of Lieutenant Dearborn, while
sitting by a window, thought she distinctly saw her hus-
band, who was absent in Rhode Island, coming up the
street. She ran to the door to welcome him, but upon
opening it no person could be seen. The circumstance
struck her very forcibly as a bad omen, and she fell to the
floor where she was found in a senseless condition. It was
further said that her husband was shot at the very time
she thought she saw him coming up the street.
Moses Dusten, of Candia, who was a captain in Colonel
Reid's regiment in 1788, and in attendance on a court-mar-
tial at Springfield, Massachusetts, and at Charlestown in
New Hampshire in 1781, presented the following bill against
the United States Government for extra expenses :
The United States, Dr. To Captain Moses Dusten.
For extra expense for myself and horse attending on
Court-Martial at Springfield andCharlestown in New Hamp-
shire, from April 8th to June 10th 1780.
Dollars.
From Danbury to Springfield, 90 miles, 161
Six days at Springfield, 157
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 91
From Springfield to Charlestown, 90 miles, 156
Four weeks and three days at Charlestown, 364
From Charlestown to Springfield, 90 miles, 168
From Springfield to Danbury, 90 miles, 167
From Danbury to Westpoint, 40 miles, 92
$1,265.
Bounties paid Candia by the United States Government :
1. s. d.
Lexington Alarm, Ap'L, 1775, 4 5 18 o
Wingate's Reg. Canada, 13 men July, 1776, 36 00 o
Continentals, 5 men, at 30^". May, 1777. 150 00 o
Continentals, 5 men, Feb., 1778, 308 10 ol
4 men, Ap'l. 1778,382000^515 2 3
" 4 men, May, 1778,398000]
Mooney's Reg., R. Island, 2 men, 1779, 19 12 o
New Levies, 6 mos. 6 men 34-10 each, 1780, 207 00 o
Nichols & Bartlett's Reg. 10 men, 1780, 195 00 o
Reynold's Reg., 4 men a 1 8/" each, 1 78 1, 72 00 o
New Levies, 6 mos. 4 men 45-10 each 1781, 182 00 o
Continentals, 8 men. 1782, 452 7 o
Stark's Brigade, 21 men. 1 777. 63 o o
/i937 19 3
The following letters from Captain Moses Dusten, of Can-
dia, to his wife, give a very striking illustration of the dif-
ficulties which were encountered by the soldiers of the Rev-
olution and the people generally, on account of the
scarcity of money and the depreciation of the currency :
New Hampshire Village, May 6, 1781.
My Dear:
I take this opportunity to inform you that I ar-
rived at camp in eight days from Haverhill, and find all
friends in good health. I hope that you are enjoying the
same blessing of health. I find that money is much depre-
ciated. On the way betwixt here and New Hampshire, in
the room of giving ^75 for one, I was obliged to give 1 20
and 140 in many places. If that should be the case in New-
Hampshire, I would not have you let those notes go out of
your hand, except you can put the money at the same
lay that you could when I came away. By all means
92 HISTORY OF CAXDIA.
make inquiry about the matter before you let them go, for
I have lost money enough that way already. Send me
word about the matter the first opportunity you have.
I ever remain your loving husband,
M. Dusten.
N. B. If you find that it will answer for you to take the
money, I would have you send me some the first opportu-
nity that you have, for I cannot sell my horse, and I am
destitute of money, and know not what to do for money to
pay for washing and other necessaries that I cannot do
without .
Remember me to all inquiring friends. M. D.
Camp, New Hampshire Village, New York, May 18, 1781.
My Dear :
I take this opportunity to write to you, hoping
that you and the children are all well, as I am at present.
Since I wrote to you, we have had the misfortune of hav-
ing one colonel killed and one major killed, one doctor
wounded and one lieutenant wounded and both taken pris-
oners, one sergeant and about forty privates killed and tak-
en down on the lines. I am ordered to go on command to-
morrow morning, but which way I cannot certainly tell,
but I will write to you and inform you the first opportunity
that I have. Since I wrote you the last letter, I have had
some prospect of getting a small matter of money, so that
you need not trouble yourself about sending me any if you
should have it to spare. Money depreciates so fast that I
think it not worth your while to take any more than that
note of David, if that will answer your end, but I would
have you do as you think best.
I ever remain your loving husband,
M. Dusten.
[Post Mark.] Captain Moses Dusten, Candia, New Hamp-
shire. To be left at Esquire Webster's, Chester.
Captain Dusten was a great grandson of the famous Han-
nah Dusten, who was taken by a band of Indians from Ha-
verhill, Massachusetts, and brought to Boscawn, near Con-
cord, where, with the assistance of another captive, she
killed all of her savage enemies while they were asleep,
after which she returned to her home.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 93
Paid Margaret, the wife of John Mitchell, a Continental
soldier for Candia, £18, 6 s.
Paid several persons for interest on money that was hired
to pay Continental soldiers, £±, 6 s., 6 d.
Account for men raised by the state to fill up the Conti-
nental battalion, in the year 1779, for one year, or for the
war :
John Clark, for the war, /"150.
John Anderson, for the war, /"150.
John Taylor, for 12 months, £90. Travel to Spring-field,
6 shillings.
John Moore, for the war, ^150.
Voted that Walter Robie, Abraham Fitts, Dr. Samuel
Mooers and Nathaniel Burpee be a committee to draw in-
structions for our Representative to the Grand Assembly to
lay before the citizens of the parish for their approbation.
At a town meeting held April 25, 1777, it was voted that
the money voted to those persons who had done service
in hiring our quota of men for the Continental army, is
hereby recommended.
The following is a copy of the instructions of the free-
holders of the Parish of Candia to Moses Baker, then rep-
resentative :
It is the voice of the people of Candia that the Eighth ar-
ticle in the Confederation on agreement, is not expressed
so plain to our understanding as that it should not admit of
an exception. We think that the states ought to be taxed
according, in some manner at least, to their real and per-
sonal estate and number of votes, not particularly by lands
and buildings. As to the Ninth and Tenth articles, we
think there ought to be a provision that one or more of the
New England States be of the same mentiohed. As to oth-
er things we have no exception that appears to us natural,
but that we approve the same.
The following are the names of Candia men, who served
in Captain Joseph Dearborn's company, of Colonel Wy-
man's regiment against Canada in 1776 :
Benjamin Cass, Peter Mooers, Joshua Moore, Ezekiel
Knowles, Enoch Rowell, Sergeant, David Hill, Drummer.
Each private received ten pounds, four shillings and nine
94 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
pence. The sergeants received eight shillings extra, the
drummer, four shillings.
The following Candia men served in Captain Samuel
McConnell's company, of Colonel David Gilman's regiment
in the Continental army in New York, in 1776 :
Ichabod Robie, Sergeant, John Clark, Corporal, Amos
Knowles, John Clay, Paul Eaton.
CHAPTER XIII.
THF WAR OF THE REVOLUTION— (Concluded.)
The following is a list of the names of the Candia sol-
diers, who served in Captain Stephen Dearborn's company,
of Colonel Stickney's regiment in Stark's brigade, of the
Northern Continental army, in 1777, and were present at
the battle of Bennington :
Nathaniel Maxfield, Ichabod Robie, Joseph Cass, Ser-
geant, Thomas Dearborn, Sergeant, Israel Clifford, John
Cammet, Benjamin Smith, Anthony Clifford, Samuel
Mooers, Jr., Samuel Dearborn, James Libbey, Benjamin
Eaton, Benjamin Wadleigh, Oliver Smith, Enoch Colby,
John Clay, John Bagley, Moses Emerson, Thomas Wilson.
Captain Joseph Dearborn's company, of Colonel Moses
Nichols' regiment, served in Rhode Island from August 5th
to April 28th, in 1778. The following are the names of the
Candia men who belonged to the company :
Benjamin Cass, Lieutenant ; Jacob Worthen, Ensign ;
Benjamin Batchelder, Sergeant ; Zebulon Winslovv, Corpor-
al ; Aaron Brown, Corporal ; Obededom Hall, Jonathan
Cammet, Silas Cammet, Walter Clay, Henry Clark, Joseph
Bean, Amos Knowles, Enoch Colby, Thomas Wilson, Oli-
ver Smith, Burleigh Smith, William Shannon, Sewell Brown,
Jonathan Pillsbury.
CANDIA SOLDIERS.
The following is a list of the names of soldiers, who
served in the war of the Revolution, and were credited to
Candia. Many of the men belonged to other places, but
were employed by the Candia authorities to fill up their
quotas from time to time : .•-
John Anderson, William Anderson,
Thomas Anderson, Jonathan Bagley,
Samuel Bagley, David Bagley,
Jacob Bagley, John Bagley,
95
•96
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Parker Hill,
James Jeel,
Henry Kimball,
Ezekiel Knowles,
Joseph Long,
John Lovering,
Moses Baker,
John Batchelder,
Jonathan Bean,
Caleb Brown,
Sewell. Brown,
Nathaniel Burpee,
Samuel Buswell,
Peter Cammet,
John Cammet,
Benjamin Cass,
Joseph Cass,
Walter Clay,
Timothy Clay,
Richard Clough, ,
John Clark,
Israel Clifford,
Joseph Clifford,
Jacob Clifford,
Enoch Colby,
Benjamin Critchett,
Gideon Currier,
Samuel Dearborn,
Jonathan Davis,
Alexander Eaton,
Eben Eaton, Jr.,
Benjamin Eaton,
Jonathan Eaton,
William Eaton,
Moses Emerson,
Abraham Fitts,
Jacob Flanders,
Jonathan Green,
Jason Hazard,
Robert Holland,
John Hills,
John Kent,
John Knowles,
Nehemiah Leavitt,
Daniel Libby,
John Magoon,
Benjamin Batchelder,
Nathan Bean,
Phinehas Bean,
James Bragdon.
Nathan Burpee,
Moses Bursiel,
William Burleigh,
Silas Cammet,
Thomas Capron,
Moses Cass,
John Caldwell,
John Clay,
Theophilus Clough,
John Clark, Jr.,
Henry Clark,
John Clifford,
Anthony Clifford,
John Colby,
Jethro Colby,
Edward Currier,
Joseph Dearborn,
Thomas Dearborn,
Moses Dusten,
Eben Eaton,
Jesse Eaton,
James Eaton,
Paul Eaton,
Nathaniel Emerson,
Wiggins Evans,
Benjamin Fellows,
Henry Gotham,
Obededom Hall,
David Hill,
Benjamin Hubbard,
V
/*& m
FRANCIS PATTEN.
Sketch, page 500.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
97
Joseph Marston,
Nathaniel Maxfield,
"William Miller,
William Moore,
Joshua Moore,
Samuel Mooers, Jr.,
Isaac Morse,
Samuel Morrill,
Jonathan Norris,
Thomas Patten,
Jonas Perry,
Asa Pierce,
J
Eleazer Quimby,
Enoch Rowell,
Isaiah Rovve,
'Thomas Shannon,
Ezekiel Smith,
Biley Smith,
John Taylor,
Jeremiah Towle,
Moses Turner,
James Varnum,
Thomas Wason,
Nath. Wadleigh,
Thomas Wilson,
William Wilkins,
James McClure,
David Morrison,
John Mitchell,
John Moore,
Samuel Mooers,
Peter Mooers,
Philip Morse,
John Morrison,
Joseph Palmer,
William Patten,
Michael Poor,
Jonathan Pillsbury,
Benjamin Pollard,
Asahel Quimby,
Enoch Rowell, Jr.,
John Shannon,
Benjamin Sanborn,
James Tiel,
Oliver Smith,
Anthony Towle,
Benjamin Towle,
Nehcmiah Underhill,
John Varnum,
Robert Wason,
John Wason,
Robert Wilson,
Zebulon Winslow,
Isaac Worthen.
It is believed that the foregoing list of the names of the
Candia soldiers who served in the war is substantially cor-
rect. It will be noticed that a large proportion of the most
prominent and wealthy men in the town, including many
town officers, served in the ranks as privates, and never
thought of asking for a commission. It is quite remarka-
ble, considering the length of the war, that so few were
killed or seriously wounded or died while serving in the
field.
It is probable that the most of those soldiers who came
from other towns and enlisted to fill the quotas of Candia,
did so to secure the bounties which were offered. Many of
7
98 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
these, as well as some of those who belonged to the town,
enlisted several times each during the first three or four
years of the war for short campaigns of from one to three
months, and received bounties upon each enlistment. Two
or three of those who came from other towns were bounty
jumpers and deserters ; but the most of them served their
full time and were honorably discharged.
A few Candia men, in the course of the war, enlisted in
other towns. In the fifteenth volume of the New Hamp-
shire State papers, in which is contained an account of the
New Hampshire men who enlisted in Massachusetts regi-
ment, it is stated that Moses Turner, aged 23, James Libby,
aged 22, and Stephen Palmer, aged 24, all of Candia, New
Hampshire, enlisted in a regiment at Salem, Massachusetts,
April 20, 1778. It is also stated that James Libby, of Can-
dia, enlisted for the town of Raymond, in 1781.
During the first two years of the Revolutionary war, the
majority of the soldiers who belonged in Candia, were en-
listed to serve in the armies which were grappling with the
enemy on or near the territory of New England, and within
from two to five days' march of their homes. They were
sometimes organized into companies or parts of companies,
and marched together to the field of conflict, and their
names were placed upon the rolls of the regiments which
they served with, some degree of order and regularity. At
a later date, the quotas of men raised in the town were gen-
erally sent out in squads of from two to five to fill up arm-
ies in New York, Deleware, New Jersey, Virginia, and oth-
er distant localities. In such cases it is sometimes quite
difficult to ascertain the facts in regard to the position of
each' soldier and the battles in which he was engaged.
Some were with Washington at Trenton and Princeton, and
some spent the gloomy winter at Valley Forge.
In the years 1780 and 1781, the people of Candia made
heroic efforts to support the cause of liberty and indepen-
dence. They taxed themselves over and over to raise
money to pay the bounties of the soldiers and to support
the families of such as had no means. In 1780, when the
Continental Congress called for large quantities of beef for
the use of the army, which was then contending with the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 99
enemy in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other middle
states, the town responded to the call without delay. The
selectmen, assisted by a committee, purchased the cattle
and payments were made to a large extent in the notes of
the town signea by the selectmen. In some cases, the
cattle which were collected in Candia were united with
those which were being raised in Chester, Londonderry, and
other towns in the vicinity, so as to make a large drove,
and in this way were taken to Albany and from thence to
the army. In some cases the cattle were driven to other
points.
The following are some of the items relating to the sub-
ject which appear in the selectmen's accounts of the
time :
November 15, 1780. Paid Zebulon Winslow's note for
beef, 665 pounds sterling, 16 shillings.
Paid Silas Cammet ditto, 24S pounds, 15 shillings.
December 4. Paid John Sargent's beef note, 180 pounds.
Paid Nathaniel Burpee for hiring money to buy beef, 60
pounds.
Paid Jonathan Pillsbury's note for beef, 1683 pounds.
January 27, 17S1. Paid Silas Cammet for beef, 123
pounds.
February 19. Paid Jeremiah Bean 15 shillings for pastur-
ing an ox one month.
Paii Silas Cammet for two oxen do. one month, 3oJshillings.
Paid Edward Robie for driving cattle, 9 shillings.
During the last two or three years, the Revolutionary
war dragged along slowly with varying success. Some-
times the Americans gained a battle, and sometimes the
British were successful, but neither side gained much ad-
vantage upon the whole.
In the autumn of 1781, General Cornwallis, the command-
er of a large British force, established his headquarters at
Yorktown, Virginia. In this position he was attacked at
all points by the American troops, his supplies were cut off,
and he was unable to move. On the 19th of October, he
was compelled to surrender his entire army, consisting of
upwards of seven thousand men, to General Washington.
This great victory raised the spirits of the Americans
IOO HISTORY OF CANDIA.
throughout all the country, for all felt that it decided the
contest in favor of the Americans. There was some fight-
ing after the surrender in some localities for nearly two
years ; but no extensive campaigns were planned by either
side. During that period the Americans were careful to
keep an army in the field so as to be prepared for every
emergency. The people of Candia continued to support
the cause of liberty, doing everything in their power.
On September 3, 1783, a treaty of peace was made at
Paris by the British and American Commissioners, and the
United States became an independent nation. On the 3d
of November. 1783, the Revolutionary army was disbanded
and the soldiers returned to their homes.
CHAPTER XIV.
MISCELLANEOUS .
THE STATE CONSTITUTION.
Soon after the close of the Revolution, several attempts
were made by a convention of delegates to form a new
Constitution of the State of New Hampshire to take the
place of that which was adopted in 1776, to continue
through the war, but nothing satisfactory to the people
was effected until 1783. In that year, a constitution which
had been formed by a convention of delegates was ratified
by the people, and in 1784, became the organic law of the
state. Meshech Weare was elected President, being the first
executive officer elected by the people of the state. Abra-
ham Fitts was elected representative by the people of
Candia.
In 1787, a convention of delegates from all of the thirteen
states met at Philadelphia for the purpose of establishing a
general or national system of government. The convention
was in session many weeks, but at last a constitution was
adopted and sent to the several states for ratification. In
some of the states a very strong opposition was manifested.
In 1791, a convention of delegates assembled at Concord
for the purpose of revising the constitution which was
adopted in 1784. It changed the name of the executive
from President to Governor, and provided that twelve sena-
tors should be chosen from twelve districts, into which the
state was to be divided by the Legislature. It also provid-
ed that a council of five members should be chosen from
five districts into which the state might be divided,
instead of the same number of counsellors which had been
chosen by the senate. William Plumer, of Epping, after-
wards Governor of the State, who was a member of the
committee which prepared the revision, proposed an
amendment abolishing all religious texts, and giving to Ro-
101
102 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
man Catholics and Deists an equal right with Protestants
to hold office. The amendment was adopted by the con-
vention, but was voted down by the people.
Josiah Bartlett was the first governor elected under the
new constitution.
RATIFICATION OF THE UNITED STATES* CONSTITUTION.
In 1787, a convention of delegates from the thirteen states
assembled at Philadelphia to form a national system of
government. After a session of four months, a constitution
to go into operation, when nine states had ratified it, was
agreed upon.
The people of New Hampshire took a deep interest in the
question of adopting the new national constitution. The
first session of the convention to consider the matter, was
held at Exeter, in February, 1788. Some of the most dis-
tinguished statesmen, lawyers and civilians of the state
were members, among whom were John Langdon, Josiah
Bartlett, John Taylor Oilman, John Pickering, Mr. Atherton,
of Amherst, and Joseph Badger. Mr. Stephen Fifield was
the candidate from Candia. At the outset, it seemed evi-
dent that the opponents of the constitution were in the ma-
jority, and that many of the delegates had been instructed
by their constituents to oppose its ratification. Mr. Ather-
ton was the chief leader of the opposition. Among the
provisions of the constitution which were the most bitterly
assailed, was one which gave protection to the foreign slave
trade for a period of twenty years, and another which
allowed five slaves to be counted as three whites in mak-
ing up the basis of representation in the national House of
Representatives, thus giving the slave states an unjust ad-
vantage over the non slave-holding states.
The friends of the constitution in the convention were in
favor of adjournment, in the hope that some of those who
were opposed to ratification might be induced to charge
their minds after further consultation with their constitu-
ents. The convention was adjourned to meet at Concord
in the following June. Upon the re-assembling of the con-
vention, it was found that those who favored ratification
had increased in number, and after a session of four days
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 03
the constitution was accepted by a vote of fifty-seven to
forty-six.
Mr. Stephen Fifiekl, of Candia, voted against ratifying
the constitution.
As New Hampshire was the ninth state which had rati-
fied the new constitution, preparations were at once made
to organize a national government in accordance with its
stipulations. George Washington was unanimously elect-
ed President, and John Adams, Vice President, and the
several states elected Senators and Members of the House
of Representatives. On March 4th, 1789, the new Congress
assembled, and Washington was inaugurated as the first
President of the Republic.
The following is a list of the tax-payers in Candia, in
1778:
Abraham Fitts, Amos Knowles, Amos Knowles, Jr.,
Aaron Brown, Arthur Libbee, Abijah Pillsbury, Alexander
Stevens, Widow Anna Robie, Widow Ann Quimby, Widow
Anne Whicher, Widow Abigail Brown Dr. Benjamin Page
Benjamin Brown, Benaiah Colby, Jr., Biley Smith, Benja-
min Smith, Benjamin Batchelder, Benjamin Rowell, Benja-
min Cass, Benjamin Fellows, Benjamin Pike, Benjamin
Hubbard, Benjamin Rowe, Esq., Benjamin Lang, Caleb
Brown, Caleb Shaw, Widow Catherine Cammet, Charles
Sargent, Widow David Jewett, David Bean, David Hills,
Dean Woodleth, Edward Critchett, Enoch Colby, Enoch
Colby, Jr., Elisha Towle, Ezekiel Knowles, Edward Robie,
Esq., Ephraim Eaton, Ebenezer Eaton, Widow Elizabeth
•Quimby, Enoch Rowell, Oilman Dudley, Humphrey Hook,
Henry Clark. Henry Clark, Jr., Captain John Sargent, John
Wiggins, Jacob Sargent, James Miller, Jacob Bagley,
Jeremiah Quimby, John Clifford, Jacob Clifford, Jeremiah
Bean, Joseph Bean, Joshua Moore, James Libby, Isaac
Randall, Joseph Palmer, John Robie, Israel Dolber, Jesse
Eaton, Deacon John Hills, James Eaton, Jonathan Sargent,
Jr., John Carr, John Clay, Lieutenant Jacob Worthen,
James McCluer, Jonathan Brown, Jethro Hills, Joseph Fi-
field, Jonathan Cammet, Jonathan Hills, Ensign Jonathan
Bagley, Widow Jane Moore, James Prescott, Jeremiah Bur-
pee, Isaiah Rowe, Jonathan Woodman, Jonathan Ring, John
104 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Prescott, Jonathan Pillsbury, John Lane, Jonathan Smith,
John Cammet, Jeremiah Towle, James Randall, Josephs
Bean, Jr., James Philbrook, John Morrison, John Colby,
Isaac Morse, Jonathan Currier, John Clay, Jr., Jonathan
Browning, Joseph Fitts, Moses Baker, Esq., Thomas Hobbs,.
Moses Sargent, Lieutenant Moses Dusteiij Moses French,
Widow Miriam Rowe, Moses Buswell, Moses Emerson,.
Colonel Nathaniel Emerson, Deacon Nathaniel Burpee,
Nicholas Smith, Nicholas French, Nehemiah Brown, Na-
thaniel Hall, Nathaniel Burpee, Jr., Obediah Smith, Oliver
Smith, Obededom Hall, Obediah Hall, Paul Eaton, Captain
Phineas Batchelder, Peter Mooers, Paul Jewett, Robert Wil-
son, Richard Clough, Robert Smart, Richard Clifford, Reu-
ben Bean, Robert Wason, Robert Patten, Deacon Stephen
Palmer, Samuel Clough, Samuel Brown, Sherburne Rowe,
Stephen Fifield, Silas Cammet, Samuel Morrill, Lieutenant
Samuel Buswell, Simon French, Lieutenant Samuel Towle,
Samuel Dearborn, Samuel Bagley, Stephen Clark, Samuel
Colcord, Samuel Mooers, Samuel Worthen, Samuel Bean,
Stephen Palmer, Stephen Marden, Thomas Dearborn,
Thomas Anderson, Thomas Patten, Thomas Wason, Thom-
as Critchett, Thomas Sargent, Theophilus Clough, Thomas-
Emery; Thomas Wilson, Thomas Sanborn, William Eaton,
William Clifford, Walter Robie, William Turner, William
Evans, William Anderson, William Wormwood, Zebulon
Winslow, Zachariah Clifford.
CHAPTER XV.
CEMETERIES AND THE BURIAL OiT THE DEAD.
THE FIRST CEMETERY.
About the year 1754, the town laid out the first cemetery
on the northeast corner of lot No. 91, of the 3d division*
which was reserved by the proprietors for the support of
public schools. This lot is situated on the corner of High
Street and the South Road, and contains about four acres.
The lot was filled with boulders, many of which are from
one to three feet in diameter, and very hard gravel, and on
this account the land is one of the worst places for a ceme-
tery which could have been selected, while for convenience
of location it was all that could have been desired.
It is said that, when the settlers were one day engaged
in cutting down the trees and bushes, and putting the
grounds to order, one among the boys who were present
said to his companions, " I wonder who will be the first
person to be buried here ? " and it turned out that the re-
mains of the boy who asked the question were the first to
be buried in the cemetery. At a revival meeting, which
was held in the old Congregational Church on a Sabbath
evening, in 1831, Rev. Mr. Wheeler related this anecdote aa
an illustration of the uncertainty of life.
There was never any systematic division of burial lots,
in this cemetery, but when a person died, the surviving
members of the family to which he belonged, selected such
an unoccupied burial place as best pleased them, the first
bereaved families, of course, having the first choice. In
1858, the cemetery was enlarged by taking in a wide unoc-
cupied strip of the highway on High Street, the north
boundary of the enclosure. Walks through the grounds
were constructed, and the cemetery was otherwise greatly
improved. The original entrance to the grounds was closed
up, and a new and handsome iron gate supported by ham-
mered stone posts, was placed two or three rods further
105
106 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
east. The gate was the gift of Governor Frederick Smith,
of Manchester.
The first grave stones were constructed of a soft and per-
ishable material, of a nature between slate and soapstone.
Some of these have become so weather-worn, that the in-
scriptions upon them cannot be deciphered without difficul-
ty. The most durable monuments in the cemetery, appear
to be those which are made of a very firm, tough kind of
slate, sometimes of a glazed tint and sometimes a reddish
brown. One of this sort, which was erected over the
grave of the first wife of Rev. Mr. Wheeler, in 1832, is now
as bright and perfect as it ever was. About seventy years
ago, white marble gravestones were first introduced.
Among these, were several which were erected to Jethro
Hill and members of his family. Some of the largest mar-
ble gravestones in this cemetery were, unfortunately, so
thin, that they have been broken off by the winds and
ruined.
It early became customary to inscribe a verse of script-
ure, a stanza of poetry or an appropriate motto following
the name and age of the deceased. The following is the
Latin motto upon the gravestone which was erected by
the town in memory of Rev. Mr. Remington, who died in
181 5 : " Sic transit gloria mundi." (So fades the glory of
the world.)
In 1823, the town bought a well-made hearse and bier
and also a full set of tools for digging giaves, such as shov-
els, picks, iron bars, etc. The hearse was made
by Thomas Critchett, the carriage maker at the village. A
hearse house to contain the apparatus, stood for many
years on the north side of the cemetery, about three rods
west of the present entrance. The first funeral at which
the hearse was used, was that of Mrs. Nicholas French,
who died in 1823 in the house now occupied by Allen Nel-
son, on the Burpee road. This hearse was in constant use
for nearly fifty years, ending in 1871, on the occasion of
the burial of Thomas Dearborn, who died at the old Caleb
Brown place, on the Marden road. The old hearse house
and the old hearse were removed to a spot near the district
schoolhouse adjoining the Congregational Church. In 1871,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. IOJ
a new, elegant hearse was purchased by the selectmen, and a
new hearse house was built on a spot on the north side of
High Street, opposite the cemetery. The new hearse was
used for the first time at the funeral of Thomas Bean.
At the present date, nearly all the space in the old ceme-
tery is occupied, and other land adjoining must be added
or another lot must be secured elsewhere.
NORTH ROAD CEMETERY.
In the early part of the present century, a small plot of
ground^ on the farmof J. Chase. Smith, upon the North Road,
was laid out for a cemetery. The remains of quite a num-
ber of the people who had resided in this section of the
town, are buried here. Of late years, however, an inter-
ment at this place has been very rare.
On September 28, 1820, Josiah Prescott, who had resided
in the neighborhood, died of a fever, and his remains were
buried at this cemetery. During thebegining of the follow-
ing year, it was suspected that Prescott's body had been
taken from the grave for dissection by some of the students
of Dr. William Graves, a distinguished physician and sur-
geon, of South Deerfield, about four miles distant from the
cemetery. On the 13th of May, 1821, the grave was 'opened,
and it was found that the body had been removed. Pres-
cott left a widow and four children. Upon the facts be-
coming known, the people of Candia and the neighboring
towns were greatly shocked, and much indignation was
felt towards the suspected parties. The case was thorough-
ly investigated, but no positive proof of the guilt of any
person could be obtained. The great event was celebrat-
ed in a long pOem, which was said to have been written
by Elijah Smith, of Candia North Road.
The following stanzas will give some idea of the genius
displayed by the writer. If he did not demonstrate that
he was a great poet, it was no fault of his own, for it was ev-
ident that he didthe very best that he possibly could :
" But here among the cells of clay,
An awful scene has been displayed,
Miscreants bold have stol'n away
A subject which has here been laid.
I08 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Beneath the covert of the night,
They did commit this shameful act.
That none might bring their crime to light,
Or dare to charge them with the fact.
Yet in the resurrection day,
When all in judgment shall appear,
Prescott will then without delay,
Meet those who stole his body here.
Then hear and tremble at the thought,
Ye perpetrators of the deed,
That you in judgment must be brought,
Then guilty of the crime to plead."
Among the students who were instructed by Dr. Graves
at the time referred to, were Dr. Isaiah Lane, of Candia,
and Dr. Noah Martin, of Pembroke, afterwards of Dover
and Governor of the State. Neither of these men ever suf-
fered any loss of reputation on account of the affair. It is
related that on the occasion of the marriage of Ezekiel Lane
to Polly Rowe, which took place in 1824, Isaiah Lane, his
brother, was one of the guests who witnessed the ceremo-
ny at the residence of Nathaniel Rowe, the bride's father.
At the dinner which followed, some of the gentlemen pres-
ent were requested to carve the turkey ; but the most of
them wei»e very shy and bashful, and respectfully declined.
At last, Sally Wiggins, afterwards Mrs. Nehemiah Hardy,,
of Hooksett, who was assisting as a waiter at the table,,
stepped up boldly to Dr. Lane and exclaimed, " Doctor,
you know all about dissecting, and are just the man to cut
up that turkey.'' All of the guests laughed heartily at this
keen thrust, and none more heartily than Dr. Lane, who in-
stantly arose from the table , carved the turkey in a very
scientific manner, and Sally Wiggins was happy.
At the time when it was found that the body of Prescott
had been exhumed, it was feared that the remains of sever-
al persons, which had recently been interred in the old cem-
etery, had been removed. Several graves were accordingly
opened, but no signs or their having been tampered with
were discovered.
CEMETERY ON THE NEW BOSTON ROAD.
When Benjamin Lang, one of the first settlers on the New
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
IO9
Boston road died, his remains were buried in a field belonging-
to his farm, a short distance from his dwelling house. His
wife, who died in 1830, was also buried there. Since that
time, the remains of a few other members of the family
have been buried in the lot ; but of late years an interment
in this cemetery has been a rare occurrence, as many of the
people in that section of the town have, for amumber of
years, buried their dead at either the old cemetery or that
which is located in the village.
The grounds at the Lang cemetery, which have always
been kept in good condition, are well adapted for a burial
place.
the Reynold's cemetery.
In 1835, a number of people of the town were afflicted
with small-pox. The Reynolds family, who lived on the
road leading from the Corner to Raymond, were the great-
est sufferers. Mr. Reynolds and one or two daughters
died, and their remains were buried in a small lot of land
situated on the south side of the highway, about a quarter
of a mile west of the upper end of the Langford road. The
lot, which was walled, is very near the highway.
cemetery at east candia.
Previous to the year 1818, the people of the Langford Dis-
trict, or East Candia, as it is now called, buried their dead
at the old cemetery, near the Congregational Meeting
House, more than three miles distant. During the winter
of that year, Miss Sally Clifford died in the neighborhood.
The following evening, the subject of the funeral was talked
over by several citizens at Abel Follansbee's store. The
trouble of reaching the old cemetery in cold and stormy
weather was referred to, when Benjamin Edgerly, who was
present, remarked that he would set off from his farm a lot
for a cemetery, provided other citizens would enclose it by
a good stone wall. Upon this, David Heath, William Clif-
ford and Jeremiah Bean agreed to build the wall and put
the grounds in order. The land was immediately staked
out, and the remains of Miss Clifford were the first to be
buried there. Some years ago the grounds were enlarged,
and various improvements were made.
110 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
THE FIRST VILLAGE CEMETERY.
About the year 1815, a lot of land containing upwards of
an acre, was laid out for a cemetery inCandia Village. The
lot, which was walled in, was situated on the northwestern
side of the mill pond and a few rods from the Free-Will
Baptist Meeting House. The remains of a considerable
number of the people in that section of the town were bur-
ied there during a period of nearly forty years. In 1851,
the remains of most of those buried there were removed to
the new cemetery, which had been established in another
section of the village. At the present date, there are very
few graves or grave stones remaining in the old village
cemetery.
THE CEMETERY AT THE ISLAND.
Many years ago, a cemetery was established at the Is-
land near the Raymond line, and a few rods below the vil-
lage. The remains of the Bean family, for several genera-
tions, are deposited here, including those of Abraham Bean
and wife, Joseph Bean and wife, Gordon Bean and wife,
and David Bean and wife. The remains of many of the
members of other prominent families in that neighborhood,
are also buried in this cemetery. The lot, which contains
about an acre of land, is well laid out and walled in.
Many of the monuments erected in this cemetery, are very
beautiful in design and finish. It is probale that the re-
mains of one hundred persons have been buried here.
THE NEW VILLAGE CEMETERY.
In 1850, a company, with a capital stock of 150 dollars
in shares of three dollars each, was incorporated by the
legislature of 1850, for the purpose of establishing' a new
cemetery at Candia Village. The following are the names
of the most of the original associates and stock-holders :
Elihu Chase, Benjamin Taylor, J. B. Richardson, C. B.
Haines, J. W. Lovejoy, L. F. Buswell, J. G. Turner, J. G.
Richardson, A. D. Dudley, E. S. Bean, P. W. Sanborn, A.
E. Morrison, David F. Clay, D. B. Dearborn, A. Gilchrist,
J. Godfrey, N. Brown, Samuel Fisk, E. Davis, 0. G. Critch,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. Ill
ett, Samuel Colcord, Cyrus T. Lane, F. J. White, J. W.
Bean, M. D. Richardson, J. P. Godfrey, S. G. Moore, D. S.
Bean, J. Hall, Thomas Robinson, Thomas J. Morrison,
Jacob Morrill, Lorenzo Hoitt, Jefferson Griffin, John
Moore.
The cemetery is beautifully situated in a grove in the
south part of the village, a few rods from the east side of
the main road. The grounds have been laid out in excel-
lent taste. In 1880, the cemetery was enlarged, so that the
lot now contains three acres.
THE CEMETERY AT THE CORNER.
In 1878, Mrs. Sarah Holbrook, of Lowell, Mass., bought
a lot of land containing about five acres, which was form-
erly a part of the farm which belonged to the late Captain
Jonathan Pillsbury. It is situated near Candia Corner, the
west side of the road leading from Chester to Deertield.
The west side of the lot, containing about two and a half
acres, was laid out for a cemetery. Subsequently, a sub-
stantial receiving tomb was erected upon the grounds. A
considerable number of lots have been sold, and the re-
mains of about thirty persons have been buried in the cem-
etery.
THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD.
For many years after the settlement of the town, the
dead were prepared for burial in the most simple and inex-
pensive manner. The body was dressed in plain under-
clothes and wrapped in a linen or cotton sheet, which was
arranged in a manner so that the head could readily be
covered or uncovered as might be desired. The coffin was
generally made of white pine boards, by some joiner in.
the neighborhood of the family of the deceased. The lid
was attached to the cover by leather or jron hinges. For a
long time there was no inside lining to the coffin, but in
the course of years plain cotton cloth was used for that
purpose. Until about the year 1826, coffins were painted
usually with lamp black mixed with boiled skim milk. In
this way the paint dried in a very short time. The whole
expense for coffins for adults, was one dollar for a long pe-
1 I 2 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
riod. In an account book kept by John Lane, Senior,
from 1784 to 1801, he invariably charged only four shillings
for an adult, which was about equal to one dollar in Amer-
ican currency.
Coffins were universally painted black until 1826, when
red became the favorite color. In November of that year,
a daughter of Samuel Sargent died in Dedham, Massachu-
setts, and the body, which was brought to Candia for buri-
al in the old cemetery, was enclosed in a coffin of bright
red color. About that time, it became the custom to make
coffins of better materials and better workmanship. About
1830, they were painted of a mahogany color. The color
in a few years afterwards, was changed to that of rose-
wood.
Caskets made of veneered mahogany or rosewood, or in
imitation of those kinds of wood, came into vogue about
the year 1855. A few years afterwards, caskets covered
with black broadcloth, richly lined with satin and furnished
with heavy silver plated handles, were introduced.
The custom of dressing the corpse in a plain black robe,
was introduced about the year 1830, and it was not until
about the year 1845, that the dead were to any great extent
arrayed in their very best and most costly apparel.
The costly funerals in the cities and towns of New Eng-
land, are in wide contrast to those of seventy five or one
hundred years ago. Then there were no undertakers, ex-
cept in the largest cities and towns. The neighbors, who
had cheerfully alternated with each other in watching with
the sick, when a death occurred, volunteered to assist in
laying out the remains. One neighbor would notify the rela-
tives and friends of the sad event and the time of the fune-
ral, while two or three others would dig the grave, and still
another selected the bearers and made arrangements for
the funeral. /Until within about ninety years, there were no
carriages tn the town, and the dead were borne to the grave
upon a rude bier made for the occasion, and the bier was
carried by a double set of bearers, who alternated with
each other, in case there was a long distance between the
house of mourning and the cemetery or grave yard, as it
was then called. The coffin was covered with a black pall
STEPHEN SMYTIL
Sketch, page 503.
■^■sV^"^^^
DOROTHY SMYTH.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 113
or grave cloth, which was furnished by the town and kept
for such purposes. After the grave had been filled, the
bier was placed over it, where it often remained for many
years in a state of decay. Sixty-five years ago, there might
have been seen in the old cemetery many biers of various
sizes in all stages of decay. All this was changed for the
better when biers were provided at the public expense.
During the first seventy-five years after the town was set-
tled, the expenses of a funeral were merely nominal, ex-
cept for mourning apparel. Now-a-days, the cost of what
is deemed a 'respectable funeral for people in ordinary cir-
cumstances in our country towns, ranges from twenty-five
to seVenty-five dollars ; while in the cities and large towns
it is double that sum, and those of the very rich classes
range from two hundred to one thousand dollars. Under
these circumstances, a funeral becomes a great burden to
people of limited means. In view of these things, it has
be n said that many people were so poor that they could
not afford to die.
The custom of wearing the symbols of mourning is much
less common than formerly, and some of the people of
Candia, in these days, venture to say there is no more rea-
son why people should dress themselves in solemn black
for two years after the death of a relative, 'than that they
should clothe themselves in coarse sackcloth, sprinkle ash-
es upon their heads, and wail and howl for days together,
as was the custom under the same circumstances among
our barbaric ancestors, many centuries ago. In this age,
many of the wisest and best people regard death as a bene-
ficent ordinance of a wise and beneficent Creator, and neith-
er a calamity or a curse for some fancied disobedience of
the requirements of an angry Deity. Such as these, believe
that everything possible should be done to soothe the
wounded spirits of those who are called to part with their
friends at the portals of the tomb, instead of surrounding
them with the emblems of gloom and sadness. Hence
they rejoice in the change which has brought flowers to
the house of mourning instead of crape, and sweet music in-
stead of dismal dirges and the tolling bell, In view of the
8
114 HISTORY OE CANDIA.
fact, that at death all earthly distinctions are at an end
and all a:e equal before the Infinite Father, many good
people now believe that the custom of making costiy dis-
plays at funerals in token of respect for the deceased, "is
more honored in the breach than in the observance."
The statement relating to the use of the new hearse for
the first time on page 107, was erroneous. It was at the
funeral of Richard H. Bean, a son of Thomas Bean, who
died October 4, 1871, that the hearse was first used.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE FIRST POLITICAL PARTIES IN CANDIA AND THE WAR
OF 1812.
Soon after the Constitution was adopted and the general
government was established, the people of the country-
were divided into two great political parties. One of them
was called the Federal party, and the other was known as
the Anti-Federal or Democratic party. From the outset,
the members of these parties differed widely in regard to
the measures which should be supported in the administra-
tion of the government. It has been said that the leaders
of the Federal party were in favor of a strong central gov-
ernment, and the introduction of forms and ceremonies for
the purpose of dignifying the young Republic, and com-
manding the respect and reverence of the people. The
Democrats, on the other hand, feared that the rights of the
states would be destroyed, and that the government would
become costly and aristocratic like those of European na-
tions. Washington, Hamilton and Adams belonged to the
Federal party, while Jefferson was the great leader of the
Democratic party.
In the course of years, the affairs of the United States
were placed in a most favorable condition. The financial
matters were put upon a sound basis, and there was a pe-
riod of peace between the Republic and England.
At length, however, a great war broke out between France
and England. A very large proportion of the people of the
United States sympathized with France, for the reason that
she had been the great ally of the United States in the
Revolutionary war, while there was another party who
sympathized more with England, o-n account of the gross
outrages which were perpetrated by the people of that
country during the reign of terror.
In the course of this war, England issued an order forbid-
ding all nations to trade with France. This order was
soon followed by an order from Napoleon, who was at the
Il6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
head of the French government, forbidding all trade with
England. France and England claimed the right to search
all vessels engaged in such trade, so that every American
vessel was liable to capture by one or the other of the
belligerent nations. The result was, that a very large
number of American vessels were captured or destroyed by
the French and English cruisers.
At about the same time, the British government claimed
the right to search all American vessels for English seamen,
and to seize any such if they were found. It is said that
several hundred seamen were seized in the course of one
year. The British frigate, Leopard, attacked the American
frigate, Chesapeake, and took from her four seamen on the
pretence that they were deserters, one of whom was
hanged.
In 1807, Congress passed an act forbidding all American
vessels to leave American ports, which was called an em.
bargo; but this measure completely ruined the commerce
of the United States, and proved more injurious to the peo-
ple of this country, than to those of England. There was
great opposition to the policy of the .general government,
especially by the Federal party. Many declared that the
injuries committed by England upon the United States,
were no greater than those committed by France. The
Democrats, on the other hand, were bitterly hostile to
England, and were in favor of adopting the severest meas-
ures in retaliation for the injuries they had inflicted upon
the American people. The act laying an embargo upon
the American shipping was at length repealed, but the out-
rages upon America by the British government were con-
tinued.
About this time, secret political societies were organized
by the Federals in a very large number of the towns in
New England, called Washington Benevolent Societies.
These associations were evidently formed mainly for the
purpose of aiding in the overthrow of the Democratic party
and the administration of President Madison. The fol-
lowing is a copy of the preamble and by-laws of a society
of this kind, which was formed by the prominent Federal-
ists of Candia, about the year 181 1 :
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 117
CONSTITUTION
Of the Washington Benevolent Society, of the Town of Can-
dia, County of Rockingham, and State of New Hampshire.
PREAMBLE.
We, the undersigned, having witnessed with pain and
deep regret the deep inroads which have been made, and
still are making upon the public morals of our beloved
country, perceiving also that our invaluable civil institu-
tions may soon be shaken to their center by the corrupt
conduct and practice of designing men, and unless coun-
teracted, they will overwhelm in one common ruin every-
thing valuable in society, and produce oppressive and uni-
versal distress ; and believing when bad men combine,
it is absolutely necessary that good men should unite, that
the only effectual mode of opposing the tide of immorality
and corruption, which appears to be setting strongly against
the best interests of the community, is that of forming as-
sociations for the laudable purpose of inculcating upon the
minds of men, virtuous principles, disseminating correct and
useful information among the people, and by benevolence
and brotherly love, fostering and encouraging those immu-
table principles of moral obligation, which ennoble human
nature, and render the heart a fit receptacle of virtuous im-
pressions.
We have thought proper, therefore, to adopt the following
articles as a constitution, by which we will be governed
and directed in the execution of so benevolent a design:
article 1.
This society shall be known and distinguished by the
name of the Candia Washington Benevolent Society.
ARTICLE 11.
The officers of this society shall consist of a President,
Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Stewards, a Standing
■Committee of seven persons, and Doorkeepers, all of which
officers shall hold their offices one year from the first Mon-
day of February, annually. The society shall make all
^elections by ballot, and the candidates having the greatest
u8
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
number of ballots shall be declared duly elected ; and if
any vacancy shall happen in any of the said offices, a new
election shall be held at the next regular meeting. The
President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, shall
be ex-officio members of the Committee, in addition to the
several persons elected for that purpose.
ARTICLE III.
The society shall hold a regular meeting on the first Mon-
day of each month, and may adjourn from time to time,
and at every meeting the President, or in his absence the
Vice President, or in the absence of the President aud Vice
President, the senior member of the Standing Committee
shall preside.
ARTICLE IV.
The Secretary shall keep the books and minutes, and re-
cord such proceedings as the society shall direct.
article v.
The Stewards shall provide a place of meeting for the so-
ciety, procure the necessary accommodations, distribute
and collect the ballots at the election of members, assist in
preserving order, and be the acting officers in the society
under the direction of the acting President.
article VI.
The Standing Committee shall distribute the Benevolent
donations of the society, and attend to such other duties as.
the society shall direct ; but no donation shall exceed the
sum of five dollars to any one person in one month, with-
out the consent of the society is first obtained, and they
shall make a report to the society every three months what
donations they have made, and to what persons, and they
shall have power to draw on the Treasurer for such sums,
as they shall expend.
ARTICLE VII.
The Treasurer shall hold the funds of the society, called'
the initiative fees and dues of the members, and report ev-
ery three months to the society the state of the funds.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ARTICLE VIII.
II9
Every member shall pay on his initiation, the sum of one
dollar, which payment shall entitle him to a copy of Wash-
ington's Farewell Address to the People of the United States,
containing a certificate of his admission, and each member
shall pay the annual sum of one dollar in quarter . yearly
payments.
ARTICLE IX.
Persons who have been duly initiated into any other so-
ciety of a similar nature, on producing their certificate of
admission and signing the constitution and by-laws of this
society, shall be entitled to all the privileges of a member
of this society, and shall be liable to the annual sum as re-
quired in the next preceding article, providing no excep-
tion be made to his admission by any one of the Standing
Committee.
ARTICLE x.
Persons proposed as members must be recommended by
two or more of the Standing Committee at a meeting of the
society, and be balloted for with white and black balls, and
the balloting may be postponed to any future meeting at
the request of one-third of the members present. The Pres-
ident shall examine the ballots and declare whether the
candidate is admitted. Five black balls shall be sufficient
to prevent the admission of any person applying for that
purpose, and no person shall be balloted for or any other
business done, unless ten members are present.
ARTICLE XI.
The form of initiation and the manner of receiving mem-
bers into the society, who have been duly elected, shall be
regulated by the by-laws.
ARTICLE XII.
The society shall have power to make such by-laws as
may be deemed necessary, but no part of this constitution
shall be altered without the consent of a majority of all the
members of the society residing within the town.
120 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
BY-LAWS
Of the Washington Benevolent Society, of the Town of Can-
dia, County of Rockingham, and State of New Hampshire.
ARTICLE I.
Section i, The President, or person whose duty it shall
be to preside, shall take the chair on each evening or day
at the hour the society stand6 adjourned, and immediately
call the members to order, and as soon as ten members are
present, including officers, and before entering on any busi-
ness, shall direct the stewards to see whether all the per-
sons in the room are members, after which he shall direct
the minutes of the preceding monthly meeting, and of the
special meetings which have been held since the last
monthly meetings, to be read. He shall then read in a sol-
emn manner, the form of prayer adopted by the society.
Section 2. The President shall preserve order and deco-
rum, and definitely decide on questions of order.
Section 3. Questions shall be definitely put in the affirm-
ative and negative, if the President doubts or a division is
called for, those in the affirmative shall first rise from their
seats, and afterwards those in the negative.
Section 4. All committees, except the Standing Commit-
tee, shall be appointed by the President, unless a majority
of the members present shall otherwise direct.
ADMISSION OF MEMBERS.
ARTICLE II.
Section 1. The names of persons proposed for admit-
tance shall be given to the President in writing, signed by
two of the Standing Committee, and the paper containing
the recommendations shall be filed by the Secretary.
Section 2. The candidates shall be admitted, not exceed-
ing six at one time, by a Steward, under the direction of
the President. On the entry of the candidates, the mem-
bers shall rise from their seats and stand, until the candi-
dates are presented to the chair. The President or some
other of the Standing Committee, shall address the candi-
dates in the following manner :
history of candia. 121
Gentlemen : —
You have been balloted for and admitted thus far into
this society ; but before you are admitted to all the privi-
leges of the society, it becomes my duty to inform you on
what principles this society was established.
We believe the cause of Benevolence is better promoted
among our fellow citizens, by forming in their minds the
true principles of moralty and integrity, than by charitable
distributions of money. We believe the best method to
prevent distress among the citizens of any country, is to
adopt a government for themselves, which shall secure
them rights and privileges, and we think the Constitution
of the United States establishes such a government. But
no system of government can be so properly formed, that
by being badly administered it may not be corrupted and
perverted to improper uses.
While the Government of the United States was adminis-
tered by that illustrious patriot, George Washington, it was
conducted with purity, honesty, a due regard to the Consti-
tution and the best interests of the citizens, as proved by
our general prosperity. It is, therefore, the duty of every
good citizen to use all lawful exertions to prevent corrup-
tion under every spurious mark from destroying our Con-
stitution, and to place the administration of the govern-
ment in the hands of the disciples of Washington. Having
observed with regret the baleful effects of combinations
against the morals and habits of our fellow-citizens, the
dangerous influence of designing men, and the popular de-
ception they practice by pretending to be the friends of the
people, and of Liberty and equality, we have adopted as
our motto, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Con-
vinced that when bad men combine good men should
unite, this society has thought it necessary to associatefor
the purpose of preserving inviolate the true principles of
our Federal Government, more effectually to establish
among our fellow-citizens Morality, Harmony, Benevo-
lence, and a union of sentiments to support sound principles,
to aid the distressed, and diffuse such useful information as
may promote the general good.
He shall then ask the candidates the following questions :
122 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
i. Are you willing to join a society supporting these
principles ?
If this question is answered in the affirmative, the candi-
dates must be directed to answer on their honor the follow
ing questions, which are to be put separate, and the assent
of the candidates required to each :
2. Are you firmly attached to the Constitution of the
United States ?
3. Are you willing to use your exertions to preserve it
against the inroads of Despotism, Monarchy, Aristocracy
and Democracy, and endeavor to have it administered on
the principles of our beloved Washington ?
4. Will you endeavor to divest yourself of all partiality
to foreign nations, which shall interfere with the interests
of the United States ?
5. Will you agree to use your privilege as citizens, and
vote at elections for such men as you conscientiously be-
lieve will be faithful to the Constitution, and attached to
those political principles which distinguished the adminis-
tration of Washington?
6. Will you endeavor to aid and assist the members of
this society in their several callings, when it will not inter-
fere with your duty to others or your own interests?
7. Will you promise never to communicate, unless it be
to a member of this society or when compelled by due pro-
cess of law, anything said or done in this society ?
The candidates shall then be requested to repeat the fol-
lowing : " All these things I do most solemnly declare on
my honor, and call on all those who are present to wit-
ness."
The President shall then address the candidates, and tak-
ing each by the right hand, shall, in a low voice, divulge to
them the Pass-Word and Countersign of the society, and
charge them never to divulge or mention them as the Pass-
Word and Countersign of the society to any person, not
even a member, excepting within the room where the soci-
ety is assembled and to the door-keeper, for the purpose ol
gaining admittance, and then only in a whisper.
The newly admitted members shall then subscribe to the
Constitution, pay the initiation fee to the Treasurer, and re-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 23
ceive a certificate of admission with a copy of Washing"
ton's Farewell Address.
MEETINGS.
ARTICLE III.
Section i. The monthly meetings of this society, ap-
pointed by the Constitution, shall be holden on the first
Monday of each month.
Section 2. The Secretary shall cause notice to be pub-
lished the week preceding the monthly meeting, of the
time and place of holding such meeting.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the President, whenev-
er it shall be recommended by two or more of the Standing
Committee of the society, and direct the Secretary to give
notice of the meeting to as many members as the time will
admit.
BUSINESS.
ARTICLE IV.
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the Standing Commit-
tee to appoint one or more persons to deliver an address at.
each monthly meeting.
The committee shall also propose at each monthly meet-
ing, a subject or question of discussion at the next succeed-
ing monthly meeting, and appoint two disputants on each
side of the question, whose particular duty it shall be to
discuss the question, any other members, however, to be
at liberty to deliver his sentiments.
ORDER.
ARTICLE V.
Section 1. When any member is about to speak in de-
bate and deliver his sentiments on any matter to the socie-
ty, he shall rise from his seat and respectfully address him-
self to the President.
Section 2. When two or more members happen to rise
at once, the President is to name the member who is first
to speak.
Section 3. No member shall speak more than twice on
the same subject, without the leave of the meeting.
124 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Section 4. When a member is speaking, no private dis-
course shall be held in the room, nor shall any person pass
between him and the President.
Section 5. While the President is putting the question or
addressing the meeting, or while the ceremony of initiation
is performing, no person shall enter or go out, or walk
across the room, or hold any conversation or private dis-
course in the room.
Section 6. When the reading of any paper is called for,
and objection is made thereto by any member, the society
shall determine it.
Section 7. No smoking, either of cigars or pipes, shall
be allowed in the room when the society is assembled on
business, nor shall any liquors or other refreshments be in-
troduced.
Section 8. Any member guilty of riotous, indecorous or
improper conduct shall be publicly reprimanded by the
President, or expelled from the society at the discretion of
those present ; but no member shall be expelled except
twenty members are present, and the votes of two-thirds of
all members present shall be necessary to expel a member.
ARTICLE VI.
Section 1. It shall be the particular duty of one of the
Stewards to superintend the door.
Section 2. The doorkeeper shall attend at least half-an
hour before the time appointed for the meeting of the socie-
ty, shall see the room is lighted and a fire kindled when
necessary.
Section 3. The doorkeeper shall receive the pass-word
from all the persons wishing to enter the society, after the
meeting is opened for business, and the countersign from
all persons not members of this society, and on meeting
them shall admit them under the direction of the President.
Section 4. When a member of any other society shall
ask for admission, he shall report his name, together with
the evidence of his membership to the Steward, and the
Steward shall inform the President, who may direct his ad-
mission, if satisfied of his being a brother.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 25
AUDITING ACCOUNTS.
ARTICLE VII.
Section i. All accounts for auditing shall be endorsed
with the names of two of the Stewards.
Section 2. The Treasurer shall pay no accounts or bills
out of the , funds of the society, unless they shall
have been audited by three of the Standing Commit-
tee one of whom shall be the President, and the names of
the auditors shall be signed with their own hands to the
amount audited.
Section 3. No accounts shall be audited without the
persons auditing shall be present at a meeting appointed
for that purpose.
ARTICLE VIII.
Every alteration or amendment of the By-Laws that may
hereafter be proposed, shall be made in writing and laid on
the Secretary's table for consideration one month previous
to its adoption.
NAMES OF MEMBERS.
Moses Fitts, Samuel Foster, Daniel Fitts, Henry Eatan,
John Clay, Samuel Fitts, William Robie, Samuel Clough,
Jesse Eaton, Samuel Sargent, Peter Eaton, Samuel Ander-
son, Moses Patten, Ichabod Cass, Josiah Shannon, Parker
Hills, John Buswell, Joseph Hubbard, John Lane, Jr.,
Nathaniel Wheat, Josiah Sargent, John Prince, Joshua Hub-
bard, Joseph Prince, Benjamin Cass, Nathaniel Rowe,
Thomas Remington, William Eaton, Reuben Fitts, Moses
Emerson, Jr., Moses Chase, Jr., Nathan Brown, Jr., Samu-
el Cass, Jr., Daniel Fitts, Jr., Caleb Prince, Samuel Cass,
Moses Sargent, 3d., Joshua Lane, Thomas Wason, Thom-
as Hobbs, Isaac Libby, Jeremiah Brown, Tiltons H. Bur-
pee, Eben Eaton, Abraham Fitts, Jacob Buswell, Jesse
Merrill, Moses Barnard, Walter Clay, Thomas Wilson,
Amos Knowles, George Titcomb, John Robie, 3d., Asa Ea-
ton, Benjamin Eaton, Jr., Jacob P. Sargent, Nehemiah
Brown, Ezekiel Lane, John Emerson, John Fitts, Moses
Sargent, Jr., Elijah Clough, Samuel Anderson, Jr., Robert
Crawford, Henry Clark, Nicholas French, Jr., Theophilus
Currier, Stephen Smith, Joseph Burpee.
126 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The above document' is copied here as a part of the polit-
ical history of Candia. The sentiments contained in the
preamble are patriotic and well expressed. The men who
signed their names to the paper were among the most in-
telligent and worthy in the town, and there is no reason to
doubt that in joining the society they were endeavoring to
promote the welfare of their country. The meetings uf the
society were probably held in a hall in the second story of
Moses Fitts' store. Why the members of the society
deemed it expedient to keep their deliberations upon
public affairs a profound secret, can only be surmised.
It may be mentioned here that about the beginning of the
present century, many prominent men belonging to New
England favored secession from the southern states.
Among them were some of the most eminent men of New
Hampshire. The late Governor Plumer, in a letter to John
Quincy Adams says : "During the session of Congress
in 1804, I was a member of the United States Sen-.
ate, and was at Washington every day. In the course
of the session, at different times and places, several of the
Federal Senators and Representatives from the New Eng-
land states informed me that they thought it necessary to
establish a separate government in New England, and if it
should be found to be practicable, to extend as far south as
to include Pennsylvania. They complained that the slave
holding states had acquired, by means of their slaves, a
great increase of representatives in Congress." Governor
Plumer added : "I was myself in favor of a separate gov-
•ernment for New England."
The biographer of Governor Plumer has quoted from the
published letters of many New England statesmen, jurists
and divines, similar sentiments.
THE WAR OF l8l2.
The British Government became more aggressive towards
the United States from year to year, and at length it became
evident that their emissaries were employed in exciting
the western Indians against the Americans. The frontier
settlers were greatly alarmed, and it soon became appar-
ent that a majority of the people of the country demanded
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 27
"that the outrageous conduct of the British rulers should be
resisted by the force of arms. War was declared against
England, June 18, 1812, and Congress passed an act au-
thorizing the President to enlist 75,000 volunteers, and to no-
tify the governors of the several states to call out 100,000
men belonging to the local militia, to defend the sea coast
and the frontiers.
New Hampshire responded to the call of President Madi-
son, and Governor Langdon issued a general order for de-
taching 3, 500 men from the militia of the state. The order was
obeyed, and the companies and regiments were duly or-
ganized.
In the latter part of June, 18 12, Governor Plumer ordered
General Clement Storer, of the First Brigade, to detach two
companies from his command to be stationed at Portsmouth
for the defence of the sea coast. Subsequently, two other
companies were detached and stationed at Portsmouth. In
July, 18 1 2, Governor Plumer ordered Brigadier-General
Robinson, of the Third Brigade, to detach a company of
artillery for the defence of Portsmouth. This company
was under the command of Captain John Leonard, of Lon-
donderry, and was stationed at Jaffrey's Point, where a bat-
tery of two nine pounders had been erected. The men en-
listed in this company belonged to the several regiments
which constituted the Third Brigade, among which was the
Seventeenth regiment. Among the members of the compa-
ny from Candia, were William Turner, Winthrop S. Dear-
born, Josiah Whicher, and Enoch Worthen. The company
served three months, and was discharged November 30,
181 2. Winthrop S. Dearborn subsequently enlisted in an-
other regiment, and was present at the battle of Plattsburg.
In August, 18 1 2, a company of artillery was detached
from the Third Brigade for the defence of Portsmouth. The
company was stationed at Jaffrey's Point, which commands
Little Harbor, where a battery of two nine pounders had
been erected. John Leonard, of Londonderry, was Cap-
tain of the company, Winthrop S. Dearborn and Enoch
Worthen, of Candia, were privates.
In the summer of 18 14, great fears were entertained of
an attack upon Portsmouth, as many British men-of-war
128 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
were constantly cruising near the coast in plain sight nf the
people in that vicinity. At the call of the Governor, a large
body of troops was detached from the various regiments
of the State. These troops, which were enlisted for ninety
days, were under the command of Brigadier-General Mont-
gomery. The following is a list of the names of the Can-
dia men, who were members of the company commanded
by Captain Samuel Aiken :
Joseph Hubbard, ist. Lieutenant ; William Turner, Ser-
geant ; Abel Reed, Sergeant ; Benjamin Rowe, Corporal ;
Richard Eaton, Josiah Turner, Daniel Taylor, Gilman
Richardson, Josiah Lane, John Clark, Willis Patten, Mos-
es Patten, Jonathan Robie, Nathan Thorn, John Colby,
Jeremiah Brown, Parker Hills, Benjamin Eaton, Moses
Stevens, Sewell Brown, John Moore, Moses Critchett, Biley
Smith, Sargent French, James Wilson, Aaron Rowe, Will-
iam Eaton, Joseph Rand.
The following are the names of the Candia men, who
served in the company commanded by Captain Collins, of
Deerfield :
Jonathan Cass, Sergeant ; Josiah Whicher, Corporal ;
Squires Batchelder, Joseph Clifford, Richard Currier, Gil-
man D. Cass, Jonathan Emerson, James P. French, Reu
ben Gale, Phinehas Healey, John Towle.
DRAFTED MEN.
In May, 1814, a company of men was drafted from the
Seventeeth regiment to defend Portsmouth Harbor. The
following are the names of the members of the company
who belonged in Candia :
Reuben Bean, Sergeant ) Moses Dudley, Corporal ; Mos-
es Critchett, Musician. Privates : Josiah Anderson, Jona-
than Cass, Richard Cass, Richard Robie, Wadley Richard-
son, Enoch Worthen.
Thomas D. Morrison, of Candia, was a member of Cap-
tain Charles E. Tobey's Company, of the 21st Regiment, of
United States Infantry, commanded by Colonel James Mill-
er. Mr. Morrison was present at the bloody battle of
Bridgewater, sometimes called the battle of Niagara, be-
cause it was fought near the great cataract of that name.
JOHN MOORE.
Sketch, page 501.
MARY MOORE.
CHAPTER XVII.
SCHOOLS.
In 1647, when New Hampshire was a British Province,
a. law in relation to public schools was enacted, of which
the following is a part :
It is ordered that every township in the jurisdiction, after
the Lord has increased them to the number of fifty house-
holders, shall then forthwith appoint one within their
town to teach all children as shall resort to him to write
and read, whose wages shall be paid either by the parents
or masters of such children ; or by the inhabitants in gen-
eral, by way of supply, as the major part of those that or-
dered the prudentials of the town shall appoint, provided
those that send their children be not oppressed by paying
much more than they can have them taught for in other
towns.
And it is further ordered that when any town shall in-
crease to the number of one hundred families or household-
ers, they shall set up a grammar school, the master, thereof,
being able to instruct youth so far as they may be fitted for
the University ; provided, that if any town neglect the per-
formance hereof, above one year, that every such town
shall pay £5 to the next school, till they shall perform this
order.
In 1 719, an act was passed which provided that every
town within this province having the number of fifty house-
holders'or upwards, shall be constantly provided with a
schoolmaster to teach children and youth to read and
write. And when any town or towns shall have the num-
ber of one hundred families or householders, there shall
be a grammar school set up and kept in every such town,
and by some discreet person of good conversation, well in-
structed in the tongues, shall be procured to be the master
thereof ; and every such schoolmaster to be suitably en-
couraged and paid by the inhabitants.
129
. 9
I30 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
When the proprietors of old Chester surveyed and laid
out the town, they reserved lots in the several divisions for
the support of public schools ; but the schools were not
established in the first settlement until 1737, about fourteen
years after the charter was obtained. In that year, it was
voted to raise thirty pounds to hire a schoolmaster. Before
that date, some of the children were taught at private houses.
In 1738, twenty pounds were raised for the support ot
schools, and in 1740, it was voted that there should be a
school maintained in the town that year throughout ; partly
by schoolmasters and partly by school dames, as the se-
lectmen should judge best.
In 1748, the first settlement was made in Candia. This
settlement remained a parish of old Chester for a period of
fifteen years. During a part of that time, two or ihree
schools were maintained in the parish by the town of Ches-
ter.
In the selectmen's accounts in Chester, in 1757, the follow-
ing item appeared :
"Paid to Charming Fare (the first name of Candia) £26 for
schooling." Samuel Mooers, who had previously moved
from Chester to Candia, was a school teacher at the latter
place in 1757, and he was probably the first school teacher
in the town.
In 1763, Candia became an independent township. At
the annual town meeting in Chester, in 1763, soon after
Candia, then sometimes called Charming Fare, was incor-
porated, it was voted :
That it be left with the selectmen to inquire into and see
how much is justly due to Charming Fare, so called, for
their proportion of the school money raised in this town for
three years past, and if they have not had their share then
to deliver the same to them, provided they lay out the same
for schooling among themselves ; and also all the other
parts of the town that have not had their proportion of the
schooling, nor money as above mentioned, shall be consid-
ered, and have their proportion on the same conditions.
THE FIRST SCHOOL.
Soon after the town of Candia was organized, measures
HISTORY OF CANDIA. l$f
were taken to provide for the education of the young.
Among the first entries in the selectmen's accounts in 1764,
is the following item :
" Paid Dr. Samuel Mooers for keeping school. 40 pounds.
The salary of Dr. Mooers, the teacher, was doubtless paid
in paper currency, which had become considerably depre-
ciated. The town appropriated a sum of money from year
to year, until the outbreak of the War of the Revolution.
For sometime after that event no appropriations were
made.
The following are the names of some of the teachers in
the schools from 1764 to 1776 :
Samuel Mooers, Daniel Rowe, Mrs. Zachariah Clifford,
Master Haselton, Mrs. Isaac Clifford, Mrs. Bowen, Master
Shaw, Nathaniel Emerson, Mrs. Israel Gilman, Master Jew-
ett, Mrs. Richard Clifford, Paul Jewett, Samuel Buswell,
Ezekiel Worthen, Walter Robie, Elizabeth Smith, Abraham
Fitts, William Dowlan, Ebenezer Eaton, Master Forsaith,
Master Hassard, Master Otis, Master Sawyer, Master Hoyt,
Huldah Sanborn.
In the early days, the schools were mostly kept in rooms
hired of the citizens in various parts of the town, and some-
times a teacher, after teaching a school in one quarter of
the town a short time, would open a school in another sec-
tion during the same season of the year. Reading, writing
and arithmetic were the principal studies in the school dur-
ing the first forty years.
The following are the names of some of the teachers,
who had charge of the schools between the years 1780 and
1800 :
Master Severance, Master Condy, Ichabod Robie, Mas-
ter True, Master Melville, Master Allen, Dolly Sanborn,
Master Perley, Lydia Fitts, Dr. Kelly, Mrs. Burbank, Debo-
rah Hobbs, Master Jenkins, Master Prince, Sarah Thorn,
Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Peabody, Mrs. Plumer, Molly Ordway,
Master Moses Fitts, Dr. Samuel Foster, Master Brown, Sa-
rah Bean, Master Howe, Abigail Clifford, Jonathan Bean,
Master Towle, Master Mitchell, Molly Silver, Master Batch-
elder, Richard Emerson, Master Bagley, Master Hall, Mas-
er Gilman, Master Clark, Master Sargent, Master Coffin,
132 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Master Huntoon, Ruth Lane. Master Randall, Joanna Da-
vis, Molly Chase.
The locations or districts, where the schools were estab-
lished, were called quarters for many years. Thus there
was the center quarter at the Corner, the west quarter at
the west end of High Street, the southwest quarter, after-
wards called the South Road district, the southeast quarter
at Patten's Hill, the northeast quarter, now called the Island
district, the east quarter, now East Candia district, the
south quarter, now called the Chester Road district, the
north quarter, afterwards called the Walnut Hill district,
the northeast quarter, now the Village district, the north-
west quarter, afterwards the North Road district or Dis-
trict No. 7. The school district in the neighborhood of
the Congregational Church was called the United district
for several years, and sometimes the Meeting House district.
About the year 1825, the districts in the town had in-
creased to the number of thirteen. At about that time these
districts were numbered in the following manner :
District No. 1 was that part of the town in the vicinity of
the Corner. District No. 2 was the territory lying near the
Congregational Meeting House. District No. 3 was that
section which borders upon the south end of the South
Road. District No. 4 was that part of the town, which is
situated upon the south end of the road which extends
'from Chester to Deerfield. District No. 5 was made up
of the territory lying on the east end of High Street, be-
ginning at a point about two-fifths of a mile west of the
Congregational Meeting House. District No. 6 was the
territory which borders upon the west end of High Street.
District No. 7 was constituted of territory situated at the
northwest section of the town. District No. 8 was made
up of territory situated near Walnut Hill. This district
was originally a part of district No. 2. The territory was
organized as a separate district about the year 18 14.
District No. 9 w£.s made up of territory situated in the
Village and the immediate vicinity. District No. 10, which
was sometimes called the Critchett district and sometimes
the Colcord district, included the territory situated in
the northeast section of the town. It is now called th
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 33
Island district. District No. n was the territory which is
situated in the eastern part of the town and is now called
East Candia. It was formerly called the Langford district.
District No. 12 was that made up from territory lying in
the southeast section of the town. It is now called the
Patten Hill district. District No. 13 was Tower Hill and
a section near the Chester Turnpike. District No. 14 was
constituted of territory situated on the North Road, which
was formerly a part of district No. 2. It was set off and
made a separate district in 1849.
The following are the names of a few of the prominent
teachers in the schools from sixty to seventy years ago :
Samuel Cass, Daniel Fitts, Jr., John Lane, Joshua Lane,
Ezekiel Lane, Moses H. Fitts, Franklin Fitts, Frederick
Parker, Henry M. Eaton, Abraham Emerson, Francis Pat-
ten, Alfred Colby, Nathan Carr, Rufus E. Patten, Asa Fitts,
Abigail Lane, Polly Rowe, Lucinda Dolloff, Melinda Patten,
Julia Rowe.
About the year 18 10, the school districts were made inde-
pendendent, officers were elected, and each district man-
aged its own affairs. The principal officer, who was
called the Prudential Committee, hired the teacher and
had the general oversight of matters pertaining to the
school. Each of the schoolhouses in the town was erect-
ed at the expense of the taxpayers of the district in which
it was located.
The oldest school house now in town, is that which was
probably built one hundred years ago, on the North
Road, in what was formerly district No. 7. The frame o
the school house at the Corner was probably put up more
than ninety years ago. Nearly all of the other school
houses in town are of comparatively modern date.
The following is a partial list of the text books which
were in use in the schools of the town near the close of the
last century and during the first quarter of the present cen-
tury :
Dilworth's Spelling Book, Webster's Spelling Book, and
Marshall's Spelling Book, Webster's Third Part, Bingham's
American Preceptor, Scott's Lessons, The Columbian Ora-
or, Murray's Introduction, Murray's Reader, Blair's Rheto-
134 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ric, Ladies' Accidence, Pike's, Welch's, Adams' and Walsh's
Arithmetics.
Text books for parsing :
Pope's Essay on Man, Young's Night Thoughts, Milton's
Paradise Lost, Thompson's Seasons.
Watts' on the Mind was a very common text book sixty-
five years ago. •
Col burn's Intellectual Arithmetic was introduced into the
schools in Candia about the year 1826. This little work was
of immense benefit to the pupils of that day, as it enabled
them to work out, not only simple sums in arithmetic with-
out the use of a slate, but also those of a somewhat compli-
cated nature. This work was soon followed by Colburn's
Sequel.
The following are the names of some of the reading
books which were in use about the year 1826 :
Popular Lessons, The New Hampshire Book, The Histor-
ical Reader, Porter's Analysis, Pierpont's National Reader,
and the American First Class Book.
Reverend Abraham Wheeler was one of the Superintend-
ing Committee at the time Pope's Essay was introduced to
be used for parsing exercises. Both Mr. Wheeler and Dea-
con Daniel Fitts condemned the work, on account of the
heretical suggestions contained in it. They could not agree
with Pope that " all partial evil is universal good," or
that " whatever is, is right," and so the book was taken
out of the schools.
Among the duties of the school teachers prior to 1840,
was that of making and mending pens for the pupils. The
pens of those days were made from quills plucked from the
wings of geese, and it required a considerable amount of
skill and experience to make a good article from these ma-
terials. The teacher was sometimes required to make or
mend twenty or thirty pens every day, besides setting a
copy in each pupil's writing book. Sometimes much better
pens were made from quills which had been boiled in oil.
These latter were called. Dutch quills, and were brought
into the town from Boston or Newburyport.
A Superintending Committee, consisting of three or
more members, was first appointed by the selectmen in
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 135
1 8 1 6. The members of this committee were charged with
the duty of examining all candidates for positions as
teachers, and of visiting all the schools in the town.
About the year 1880, the school in District No. 5, near the
east end of High Street, was discontinued. A part of the
pupils belonging to that locality were transferred to District
No. 2, in the vicinity of the Congregational Meeting House,
and a part to District No. 6, near the west end of High
Street, at the east end of North Road. District No. 14 was
also discontinued, and the pupils were transferred to Dis-
trict No. 2. At the same time, school District No. 8, which
included the Lang road and Walnut Hill, was united with
school District No. 7. situated in the northwest section of
the town.
In 1885, the New Hampshire Legislature enacted a law
abolishing the old school district system of the state and
uniting all the schools into a single district. This school
district was placed under the control of a school board con-
sisting of three persons. The board was authorized to ex-
amine and select all of the teachers, furnish the fuel and
other supplies, and to have a general supervision of the
school. The following are the names of the first school
board which was chosen in this town under the new law :
J. Lane Fitts, Henry A. Hubbard, and George F. Cass.
The first named was elected to serve for three years, the
second for two years, and the third for one year.
The following are the names of the members of the board
for 1890 :
Albert E. Colcord, George E. Richardson, and George F.
Cass.
In 1889, the Legislature enacted a law, which provided
that all the books used in the public schools of the state
should be furnished at the expense of the several towns. It
was also provided that the books should be selected by the
school boards of the towns.
The following are some of the text books now in use
in the schools :
Barnes' Readers, Sheldon's Arithmetic, Harper's Geogra-
phy, Barnes' History, Meservey's Book Keeping, Harvey's
Grammar, Munroe's Speller, Brand's Physiology,
1^6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Seventy years ago. there were many families of from
eight to twelve children, and in many cases three fourths
of them attended school at the same time. In the largest
districts, there were often from seventy to eighty scholars
in the winter. In these days, there are very few Ameri-
can families in which there are more than three or four
children, and in many cases there are none at all. The
schools are consequently thinly attended, the average
-lumber in the eleven branch schools being eighteen.
The school houses were warmed with open fires, previous
to 1828, when stoves were introduced. The fire-place,
which was located upon one side of the building, was large
enough to receive wood four feet long. In the very coldest
weather, a roaring fire was necessary to keep the pupils
comfortable, and sometimes the girls and boys had to stand
around the fire in the morning or after recess. Sometimes,
when one of a group of boys happened to stand with his
back to the fire and his arms behind him, a mischievous,
companion, who wanted a little fun, would slyly snatch up
a live coal and drop it into the palm of one of his hands.
As there were no janitors in those days, it was the cus-
tom for the larger boys to take turns in building the fire in
the morning an hour or two before the commencement of
the exercises of the school; and just before the school was
closed in the afternoon of each day, the master announced
the name of the boy whom he had appointed to make the
fire on the succeeding morning.
Many years ago, some of the teachers of the schools be-
lieved that obedience and good order could not be secured
without an appeal to the fears of those who were placed in
their charge. Under such circumstances, the discipline
was severe, and pupils found guilty of whispering, quarrel-
ing, making up faces, circulating comic pictures drawn up-
on their slates, idleness or inattention to their lessons,
throwing spit balls or other violations of the rules of the
school, were sure of encountering the wrath of the teacher.
"The ferule, a hard wood ruler, fifteen inches long, an inch
und a half wide, and half an inch thick, was the weapon
principally relied upon in such cases. The heavy blows,
which were struck by the teachei upon the hands of the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 37
offenders, caused intense pain,, and in some cases the hands
were blistered. The worst offences of the boys, were pun-
ished by a severe whipping upon the back with a strong
withe. Lighter offences were sometimes punished by com-
pelling the offender to stand upon one leg with a book held
aloft in one of his hands. Some teachers had a habit of
seizing a pupil by the ear with one end of a pen-knife han-
dle and the thumb on one side, and the fingers upon the
other, and dragging him from his seat into the floor.
These errors on the score of discipline were by no means
universal among the teachers in this town. The greate1"
majority were discreet and kind-hearted, and greatly
respected by their pupils.
In 1828, a law was enacted by the Legislature, which
provided for taxing the discount banks in the state to the
amount of one-half of one per cent, for the purpose of rais-
ing a fund for the benefit of the common schools. The
money thus raised was called the Literary Fund. The
money has been paid out to the towns in proportion to
the amount of their state tax many years. The law is still in
operation, and the tax upon the greatly increased amount
of bank stock now owned in the state, yields a compara-
tively large sum for the Literary Fund. The proportion of
the fund paid to Candia in 1890 was $185.00.
The money which was derived from the sale of the school
lots during the early part of the present century, was of
great benefit to the schools of that day.
The amount of money annually appropriated for schools
in the town during the present century, has ranged from
five hundred dollars to fifteen hundred dollars. The
amount appropriated in 1890, was fourteen hundred and
fifty dollars.
Until recently, the money raised for schools in the town
was divided among the several districts in proportion to the
amount of taxes which were paid by each. Thus, if the
people of a district paid more taxes than were paid in any
other, they received more school money than any other
district, and could consequently have the longest school
terms. Seventy years ago, there was more taxable proper-
ty in district No. 2, and the schools in that district were
I38 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
kept six months each year and sometimes longer,
while the schools in some of the other districts were not
kept more than two-thirds as long.
In some of the districts the prudential committee, for
the purpose of lengthening out the school term, sometimes
made an arrangement for the teacher to board around, the
citizens agreeing to furnish board and lodging without
charge to the town.
By the law of 1885, by which all the old school districts
of the town are consolidated into one, the people of the va-
rious sections of the town enjoy equal school advantages.
This main district is divided into eleven branches or sub-
districts as follows :
The Corner, the Meeting House district. South Road,
High Street, North Road, the Village, the Island, East
Candia, the Chester Road, the Turnpike, and Patten's
Hill.
HIGH SCHOOLS.
Ever since 1820, High Schools have been kept at inter-
vals in Candia. The first teacher in these schools was
probably Daniel Fitts, Jr. He was for sometime a pupi,
in the academy at Bradford, Massachusetts. He kept a
private school in the town several terms in Master Fitts
hall, and two terms in the old Remington house, afterwards
owned by Joseph Fitts. He was succeeded by Moses H.
Fitts, Frederick Parker, a Mr. Rice and Mr. Whivtemore
David Cross and James O. Adams, of Manchester, all of
whom kept excellent High Schools upon the hill near the
Congregational Meeting House, more than fifty years ago.
CHAPTER XVIII.
HISTORY OF THE MILITIA.
Very soon after the first settlements were made in New
Hampshire, all the able-bodied men in the colony were or-
ganized into squads and military companies for the com-
mon defence against the Indians and when the colony be-
came a British Province the military forces were organized
into battalions and regiments. During the long war be-
tween France and England about the middle of the eigh-
teenth century, the Province of New Hampshire greatly
aided the mother country by furnishing regiments of troops
at various times to serve in Canada, Cape Breton and else-
where.
At the beginning of the War of the Revolution, there were
two classes of soldiers, besides those who enlisted to serve
in the continental armies, viz. : A Training Band, which
was constituted of all able bodied persons in the state from
sixteen to fifty years of age, and the " Alarm List," which
was made up of all males between sixteen and sixty-five
years of age. These were liable to be called out when an
alarm was given by firing three guns rapidly, one after
another.
Soon after the independence of the colonies had been
achieved and New Hampshire become a state, the people
took a great interest in military affairs.
In 1792, the militia was organized into twenty-seven reg-
iments, six brigades, and three divisions. The seventeenth
regiment belonged to the Third Brigade, First Division.
The regiments were organized into two battalions, each
of which was commanded by a Major, and a regiment,
consisting of the two united battalions, was commanded
by a Lieutenant-Colonel. The Seventeenth Regiment was
constituted of the companies of Chester, Candia, Raymond
and Allenstown. The first batallion of the regiment was
composed of the companies of Chester, and the second bat-
*39
140 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
talion was formed of the companies in Candia, Raymond
and Allenstown. Stephen Dearborn, of Chester, was the
first Lieutenant-Colonel under the new arrangement
Major Simon Towle. of Raymond, commanded the first
battalion, and Major Samuel Mooers, of Candia, command-
ed the second battalion. In 1808, Thomas Wilson, of
Candia, was Lieutenant-Colonel.
In 1 81 2, Theophilus Lovering, of Raymond, was Lieuten-
ant-Colonel-Commandant of the Seventeenth Regiment
Henry Sweetser, of Chester, was Major of the first battal-
ion, and Henry T. Eaton, of Candia, was Major of the-
second battalion. In 1814, Henry T. Eaton was Lieuten-
ant-Colonel-Commandant of the regiment.
In 1818, the law dividing the regiments into separate bat-
talions was repealed, and in that year the Seventeenth Reg-
iment was commanded by Colonel Samuel D. Mason, of
Chester, Samuel Head, of Hooksett, which was then a part
of Chester, was Lieutenant-Colonel, and Nathan Brown,,
of Candia, was Major.
The exact date when the Candia Light Infantry was or-
ganized, cannot now be ascertained ; but it was probably
about the year 1810. The cavalry company or troop,,
which was attached to the regiment, consisting of men
belonging to Chester, Candia and Raymond, was prob-
ably organized about the year 1805. The Artillery Compa-
ny, which was also made up of men belonging to the three
towns, was organized in 1820. A four pound brass cannon,,
which was furnished by the state, was kept in a small
building, which stood on the site of the present Congrega-
tional Church. A small sign with the following inscription,
was placed over the door: "Gun House 17th Reg. N..
H. M."
About this time, companies belonging to Hooksett and
Allenstown were transferred to the Eighteenth Regiment,,
which consisted of the companies belonging to Deerfield„
Nottingham, Northwood and Epsom.
In 1820, and for nearly thirty years afterwards, the Sev-
enteenth Regiment was made up of the company of Cav-
alry, the company of Artillery, Chester Light Infantry, Can-
dia Light Infantry, and two companies of infantry in
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 141
<each of the towns of Chester, Candia and Raymond. In
1812, soon after the second war with Great Britain broke
out, the military organizations of the town were in most
•excellent conditions.
FIELD OFFICERS.
The following are the names of the Candia men who
served as field officers in the regiment at various times :
Colonels, Nathaniel Emerson, 1776, Coffin M. French
1829, Rufus E. Patten, 1836, Levi Bean, 1843.
Lieutenant-Colonels-Commanding, Thomas Wilson, Henry
True Eaton, Major Samuel Mooers.
Lieutenant-Colonels, Samuel Cass, Coffin M. French,
Abraham Emerson, Rufus E. Patten, John Prescott.
Majors, Nathan Brown, Simon French, Samuel Cass, Eb-
enezer Nay, Francis Patten, Abraham Emerson, John Pres-
cott, Ebenezer Eaton.
Adjutants, Nathaniel Wheat, 18 18, John Moore 3d., Sam-
uel G. W. Patten, 1839.
Quartermasters, John Emerson, Moses H. Fitts, C. Ed-
win Eaton, Nathaniel F. Emerson, Rufus Hall, John M.
Turner.
Surgeon, Moses Bagley.
Surgeon's Mate, Joseph Eaton.
Chaplain, Charles P. Russell.
The following are the names ot the officers of Candia
Light Infantry as far as can now be ascertained, with the
date of their commissions :
Jonathan French, 1812, Peter Eaton, 1815, Simon French,
1820, Coffin M. French, 1824, Henry M. Eaton, 1828, Fran-
cis Patten, 1830, Thomas Anderson, 1833, Abraham Emer-
son, 1834, Samuel Clough, 1836, W. Sargent Shannon, 1837,
Charles S. Emerson, 1839, George W. Anderson, 1841, Na-
thaniel Robie, 1844.
Lieutenants, who had no higher rank : Jesse Smith, 1820,
Moses Bursiel, 1824, Frederick Fitts, 1826, John Rowe,
1832.
ARTILLERY,
■Captains, William Turner, 1820, Jonathan Pillsbury, 1823,
142 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Ebenezer Nay, 1825, Gilman Richardson, 1828, Hazen
Batchelder, 1833, Benjamin P. Colby, 1835, Rufus E. Pat-
ten, 1836, Joseph Richardson, 1838, Nathaniel Brown, 1841.
Lieutenant, John Hobbs.
CAVALRY.
Captains, John Pillsbury, 1824, Gilman Clark, 1830, John
Moore, 1834, John Prescott, 1839.
Lieutenant, Edmund Hills.
UNUNIFORMED INFANTRY COMPANIES.
There were two ununiformed Infantry Companies in the
town, one of which was called the Upper Company, which
consisted of men who lived west of a line dividing the town
into two equal parts. The other, called the Lower Compa-
ny, consisted of men who lived east of that line.
The following- are the names of the officers of the Upper
Infantry Company :
Captains, Samuel Cass, 1820, Joseph Fitts, 1826, Aaron
Cass, 1827, Abraham Cass, Jr., 1830, True Eaton, 1832,
William Fifield, 1835, Levi Bean, 1839.
Lieutenants, who had no higher rank : Jonathan Eaton,
Alfred French.
Ensigns, Jonathan Brown, 1820, John L. Fitts, 1837,
Thomas Emerson, 1828, Stephen M. Baker, 1835.
the lower infantry company.
Captains, Samuel Dudley, 1820, John Moore, Jr., 1822,
John Smith, 1825, Stephen Bean, 1830, James Gale, 1831,
Moses Varnum, 1832, Asa O. Colby, 1835, Joseph Noyes,
1837, Jason Godfrey, 1840, Austin Cass, 1841, George Em-
erson, 1842.
Lieutenants, who had no higher rank : Samuel O. Dear-
born, 1831, Jacob Morrill, 1832, Thomas Dearborn, 1837,
Nathan Rollins, 1S41.
Ensigns, Josiah Turner, Jacob Worthen, Gilman W. Nich-
ols, 1826, Warren Clay, 1831.
About the year 1836, the two Infantry Companies having
* become quite thin, were consolidated into one.
The uniform of the cavalry consisted of bright scarlet
HISTORY OF CANDIA. H3
coats with brass buttons, dark blue pantaloons and leather
caps with red plumes.
The Artillery Company wore dark blue coats and panta-
loons, trimmed with red. They had leather caps with
black plumes tipped with red.
The uniforms of the officers of the ununiformed Infantry
Companies, consisted of blue coats trimmed with silver
lace, white pantaloons, and leather caps with white plumes
tipped with red.
MAY TRAINING.
By the law of 1818, all males between eighteen and forty
years of age, were required to perform military duty three
times each year, viz. : in May, in September, and at the
general muster of the regiment.
The following was nearly the form of the notice to each
soldier, warning him to appear for inspection on May train-
ing day :
Candia, N. H., April 20, 1825.
To John Severance,
Sir:—
You, being duly enrolled as a member of the Company of
Infantry in Candia, commanded by Captain Amos Smith,
are hereby warned to appear near the Congregational
Meeting House on Tuesday, May 10th, at 1 o'clock P. M.,
armed and equipped as the law directs for inspection and
military exercises, and then wait further orders.
Stephen Gates, Sergeant.
The men who were between forty and forty-five years of
age were required to exhibit their muskets and other
equipments to the officers of companies,' on the first Tues-
day in May ; but they were not required to perform any
other military ' duties. According to the law, the display
of the equipments could be made by proxy, and it often
happened that a boy was employed to perform that ser-
■ vice.
The law provided that all officers of a regiment who
served six years, became exempt from all further military
duty, and, although it was thought to be a great honor to
hold a commission, there were some who sought the posi-
144 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
•
tion for the purpose of thereby obtaining an early discharge
from military obligations.
In case the weather was pleasant on the first Tuesday in
May, there was a very large gathering of men, women and
children on the street near the old Congregational Meeting
House, to witness the evolutions of the soldiers.
The members of the Light Infantry Company assembled
at Peter Eaton's Hall, those belonging to the ArtiUery Com-
pany at Master Fitts' Hall, while the ununiformed Compa-
ny belonging to the west half of the town assembled at a
room in Master Fitts' dwelling house, or if the weather was
fine, under the trees near the Congregational Meeting
House,
After the roll was called, the laws relating to the duties
of the soldiers were read, and then the inspection of equip-
ments took place. The company was then drilled in the
use of arms by the officers, after which came the marching
and counter-marching of the company to the music of a
fife, a tenor or snare drum, as it was called, and a bass
drum. This was quite entertaining to the spectators, espec-
ially when a man of true military spirit and enthusiasm
was in command. How dignified was his bearing, and
how proudly he marched around the old meetinghouse and
up towards the Pound at the head of somewhat less than a
hundred men, from High Street, the North Road and the
South Road. At the same time, the Light Infantry and
Artillery are performing sundry and divers evolutions upon
the grounds, each one with a small band of music much
superior to that employed by the ununiformed Infantry,
for among the instruments used, there is a bugle and per-
haps two clarionets, and in rare cases, a t. ombone. To-
wards the middle of the afternoon, the captain of the Low-
er company of ununiformed Infantry, consisting of soldiers
belonging to the village, the Colcord and Langford dis-
tricts, and the Burough road, under the command of Cap-
tain John Smith, came marching up the hill from the Cor-
ner to join their brothers-in-arms at the meeting house. A
little later, the troop which had also been inspected at their
quarters at the Corner, have arrived at the old church, and
at the sound of the trumpet are executing various miltary
COFFIN M. FRENCH.
Sketch, page 516.
HISTORY OJf CANDIA. 145
evolutions. And now the scene has become lively and in-
spiring. The artillery has linlimbefed the cannon and op-
ened a furious assault upon an imaginary foe in the valley
below, in the direction of Mr. Duncan's store. The gun-
ners ram down the cartridge with "vigor, and the piece is
touched off with a fuse made of a section of tarred rope at-
tached to an iron rod. The three privates, who have been
detailed to carry the two small, blue-painted chests contain-
ing the ammunition, rush boldly up close to the cannons
mouth to deliver the cartridges to the gunners as they are
wanted from time to time. The gun, though only a foui-
pounder, sends forth a loud and sharp report, which echoes
over the hills and valleys for miles away. Once in a while
on the explosion of a cartridge, the smoke rushes from the
muzzle of the gun in the form of a ring, which as it ascends
becomes larger and thinner, until at last it is lost to view.
The Light Infantry, posted upon the left of the artillery,
is rapidly firing volley after volley of musketry, sometimes
by platoons, sometimes by sections and sometimes by the
whole company at once: Meantime the troop, which has
been on a short reconnoitering expedition upon the high-
way leading to the North road towards the oldschoolhouse
in District No. Two, is returning on a full gallop to the pa-
rade ground. The smoke from 'the cannon and the musk-
ets of the Light Infantry nearly covers the field ; the bands
of the companies are playing, some one tune and some an-
other, and the enthusiasm of the soldiers and spectators has
reached its height.
By this time the sun is fast creeping-along towards the
western horizon ; the Light Infantry has expended all of its
ammunition and the artillery has fired its last cartridge.
The lower, ununiformed infantry, escorted by the troop, is
now marching towards the corner.
The Light Infantry and artillery have reached their quar-
ters ; the upper company of ununiformed militia, which has
been drawn up under the elm and Lombardy poplar trees ai
the west end of the old Congregational meeting-house, have
been dismissed after having been complimented for their
good behaviour by the captain The men, women andchi?-
10
1 4^ HISTORY OK CANIKA
dren, who have been greatly entertained by the stirring'
events of the day, are returning to their homes, and ere the
sun has sunk behind the western mountains, scarcely a
sound can be heard in the neighborhood, which a short half-
hour before had been a scene of confusion and excitement.
The above is a faint description of the May trainings in
the town as they were between the years 1820 and 1830,
when the old militia system was in the height of its popu-
larity and when there was the greatest number of men who
were liable to perform military duty,
In those days it was the custom for the commisioned of-
ficers of the Light Infantry to give the privates a supper at
their residences after the May training, as a token of their
appreciation of the honor of having been chosen to fill their
several positions in the company. Sometimes the custom
was varied by giving a breakfast on the morning of muster
days.
In those times the field officers and the officers of all the
companies were required to meet early in September upon
the grounds which had beeu selected for the muster, for
drill and also for the purpose of making all necessary ar-
rangements for the great parade which was to take place a
few days later.
THIS I1USTKR.
The muster of the regimeut was the great military festi-
val of the year. For months the boys had been saving all
the money that they could scrape together and had count-
ed the weeks and days which would elapse before the great
event would take place. Many of the soldiers who belong-
ed in Candia lived from ten to sixteen miles from the mus-
ter-field when the muster took place in Chester or Ray-
mond ;and they were consequently obliged to start at least
an hour before day dawned ; and so, while it was yet dark
and the stars were shining brightly, long lines of wagons
filled with soldiers or those who were to officiate as spec-
tators were passing down High Street, the North Road,
along the Colcord Road and the other highways towards
the great point of attraction. Many of the young men and
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 147
boys were trudging along on foot and if, perchance, a boy
was lucky enough to be invited to ride sitting upon a peck
measure in the rear of the wagon, he was quite willing up-
on approaching a hill to jump out and walk to the top of
it.
Every dwelling house along the route was lighted with
at least one tallow candle, showing that the occupants were
more or less interested in the approaching display ; and all
the roosters crowed as loud as they could scream. Now
and then there was heard a strain of music from a bugle or.
a clarionet, and anon there came the report from a musket
which was sometimes discharged close by and at others at
a point a mile distant.
At sunrise the members of the various companies arrived
upon the borders of the muster field. And now the drums
are beating and the fifes are screaming, calling the soldiers
of the several companies to assemble without delay. The
sergeants and coporals soon bring order out of chaos and
every man finds his proper position. The adjutant, mount-
ed upon his prancing steed, esco rts each company to its
place in regimental line, the troop or cavalry on the extreme
right, then the artillery, next the Candia and Chester Light
Infantry and last the six companies of ununiformed infantry.
The regiment is formed in two parallel lines, the colonel
and the other field officers take their position in front, and
then the adjutant gives the order, "Present arms." The in-
fantry companies obey the order and the colonel takes com-
mand of the regiment. The regimental standard is then es-
corted to the field by a company of infantry under the di-
rection of the adjutant, after which the regiment is formed
into a hollow square. The chaplain appears upon horse-
back and offers an appropriate prayer. The regiment is
then brought again into line and various military exercises
are performed under the direction of the colonel.
THE INSPECTION.
At about 10 o'clock the regiment is broken into compan-
ies for inspection. All the field officers dismount, and
lucky are the boys who get a chance to take care of the
1 48 HISTORY OF CAN'DIA.
horses while the inspection is in progress and enjoy a slight
taste of military glory as they ride up and down the field,
imagining themselves veritable colonels or majors for a
brief hour. The shilling or quarter of a dollar which they
receive for their proffered services, goes a great ways to-
wards paying for the gingerbread, the candy and other lux-
uries which they will take to their homes.
The Brigade or Division Inspector, accompanied by an
aide-de-camp, appears upon the field mounted and proceeds
at once to make a thorough inspection of the arms and
equipments of the regiment, beginning with the cavalry.
He first rides around the company and then critically ex-
amines every sword, pistol and all the other equipments,
one by one ; and if any imperfections are discovered the
aide-de-camp notes them in a book which he carries for the
purpose and the delinquent is doomed to pay a fine. After
completing the inspection of this arm of the service, the
inspector and his aid dismount and next inspect the artil-
lery. When the old cannon and all the sabres and other ac-
coutrements of the members of the company have been ex-
amined, the various infantry companies are attended to.
The privates stand in ranks a few feet apart with their
ramrods inserted loosely in the barrels of their guns. The
inspector, with great formality, seizes each musket as it is
presented to him and shakes it up and down vigorously to
ascertain by the jingle which follows whether the barrel is
clean or foul and whether there is any ramrod at all. There
were no breech loaders in those days and the percus-
sion cap had not been invented. Every infantry man was
required to furnish himself with a flint lock musket, two
spare flints and a priming wire and brush, the latter articles
being necessary in case the aperture which connected the
powder in the pan ofthe lock with the charge in the barrel
became foul and obstructed. It the inspector succeeds in
cocking the musket of ancient days and in springing its
lock without difficulty no fault is found with it, no matter
how old or rusty it may have become.
Many of the inspectors of those times, after examining a
musket, often returned it with a stiff arm and a sudden
horizontal jerk which was liable to knock the owner down
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I49
-unless he was well on his guard. At the close of an exami-
nation of a company some inspectors made' a brief address
to the captain in the course of which they gave some
account of their investigations. Sometimes they criticised
severely and sometimes they praised without stint. In
most other cases, they pointed out a very few imperfections,
but were careful to give credit where it was due. A some-
what pompous inspector who officiated at a muster of the
old Seventeenth regiment addressed the captain of several
of the companies he had examined nearly in the following
style : "Captain Blank, I have very carefully inspected
your company and I am happy in being able to state that,
with a very few slight exceptions, I have found that it is in
excellent condition. Your company, sir, is an honor to the
regiment and the State of New Hampshire. I sincerely
hope and trust sir that all imperfections and deficiencies
will be remedied before the next annual inspection. " Then,
after making a very profound bow to the captain, the elo-
quent official turns upon his heels with military precision
and marches off with a majestic air to another company,
the scabbard of his sword dangling against his boots and
spurs.
THE REVIEW.
After the inspection, the regiment is placed in readiness
for a grand review. The Brigadier or Major General and
all the members of his staff superbly mounted appear upon
the grounds and ride at a moderate pace around the regi-
ment, which is formed in two parallel lines or battalions.
The general, as he passes up and down the lines, carefully
notes the appearance and bearings of the several companies.
After performing this duty, the reviewing officers take a
position opposite the centre of the regiment, the general
being posted three paces in advance of his subordinate
officers.
When the review was about to take place at the musters
sixty years ago all the bands of the several companies were
consolidated into one regimental band under the direction of
the drum major. Previous to 1820, the fife and the bass
15° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and tenor or snare drums were the principal instruments
in use at trainings. The eight or ten fifes and as many bass
and snare drums in the hands of the enthusiastic perform-
ers must have made a great racket if not the most charming
music.
As the regiment with the band at its head marched before
the general each officer as he passed, saluted him by bring-
ing his sword in front with the hilt on a level with his face ;
then bringing it to his right and extending it outward at an
angle about forty-five degrees, with the point nearly touch'
ing the ground ; next by bringing it again in front ; then to-
its place at the shoulder.
One of the attractive features of the muster was the
splendid appearance of the general and the members of his
staff in their gay uniforms, which consisted of fine dark-
blue broadcloth coats, trimmed with gold lace, buff breeches
and vests, high top boots, gold epaulets and black beavers,
cocked hats,* with black ostrich feathers. Their horses,
which were the handsomest and most spirited that could
be found in the region, were furnished with highly orna-
mented bridles, breast plates, martingales and saddles
with leopard skin housings.
The uniforms of the regimental and brigade officers cost
quite a sum of money and there were some men who
who aspired to high military honors who could ill afford to
make the outlay, and so it became a custom with men of
this class to hire uniforms and horse equipments of officers
who were able to own them. The uniform of a colonel or
a brigade staff officer which had been worn at a muster in
one locality was very easily transported a dozen or twenty
miles for the use of an officer at a muster of another regi-
ment a few days later. When the officer who hired a uniform
was somewhere near the size of the owner, the economical
scheme to shine in borrowed plumage worked well.
THE DINNER.
While the inspection was in progress the officers and pri-
vates were presented with the sum of thirty-five cents by
the selectmen of the towns to which they belonged to pur-
HISTORY OF CANB1A. I 5 1
chase for themselves a dinner. At a late date the sum was
raised to fifty cents. Each of the uniformed companies
generally dined together at the residence of some thrifty
farmer and they were sure of being feasted with roast beef,
plum puddings, mince and apple pies with all the trim-
mings. Before the temperance reform was inaugurated
nearly all took a glass of good old West India or New Eng-
land rum before they sat down to dinner. The general and
his staff and the regimental officer sometimes dined to-
gether at a tavern or at the residence of some prominent
citizen. At the muster which took place in 1828 on Nehe-
miah Colby's field, about half a mile northwest of the pres-
ent railway station, Samuel D. Bell, the colonel of the regi-
ment, who then resided in Chester, with the rest of the field
officers dined at the residence of Lt.-Col. Samuel Cass.
The brigade officers dined at the tavern near the meeting-
house, which was kept by Frederick Fitts. The fore part of
that muster day was cold and rainy, but the afternoon was
bright and beautiful.
The old time muster was sure to attract a large number
of peddlers of all sorts of goods, hats, jewelry, patent
medicines and books. But none of the enterprising traders
were better patronized than the venders of gingerbread,
candy and other sweatmeats. Some of the peddlers sold
their goods at auction and their funny jokes and comic
songs, like " Betsey Baker" and "Tom Bolin " always
greatly entertained the crowd of listeners.
There was a greater or lesser variety of shows at the
musters. Sometimes a bear, a couple of wild cats or a live
rattlesnake might have been seen for a few cents. Some-
times Joe Pentland, or some other performer, gave an ex-
hibition of skill upon the slack wire or the tight rope, or
showed how he could eat a quantity of tow which, after
burning fiercely in his stomach a few moments, could be
changed into many yards of beautiful ribbon and drawn
out of his mouth. At a muster in Raymond in the Lane
District, near the southwest corner of that town, in 1826,
what was called " The Learned Goat, " was the principal
show. A quantity of cards were arranged upon the ground
nside of a tent and a common goat spelled the name of
152 . HISTORV OF, CANDIA.
any person by picking up the proper letters, one by one,
with its mouth. The goat was enabled to perform the trick
by watching the secret signals given by the exhibitor. A
hand organ, which was. probably the first one ever seen in
the parts, was operated by a woman. "Blind Dexter, " who
was the owner of the concern, tended the door and took
the change. " Jakey Lane, " the harmless imbecile of Ray-
mond, who attended the muster was transported with joy as
he stood outside of the tent and listened to the sweet sounds
which issued from the organ. In his ecstacy he gave vent
to his feelings by exclaiming, over and over again, "Oh
how dreadful pooty that music is ain't it ? " During the day
Jakey gave several exhibitions to the admiring spectators
on his own account, by running forty or fifty rods with a
long stick in one hand and his outstretched arms extended
high above his head. For each performance he received
the sum of one cent.
Dancing was frequently one of the entertainments at the
musters of many years ago. Two adventurous fiddlers
who were sometime of African descent, would establish
themselves in a barn or a temporary ball room which con-
sisted of a flooring of boards laid down upon the ground
in some spot near the field, and any person who would con-
tribute a small sum to pay for the music could take a part
in the fun. Many were the boys and girls who didn't care
a bit for etiquette or dignity that sailed in just as they were,
with their hats and bonnets upon their heads ; and the way
they balanced, cast off, swung round and double shuffled
would have delighted the soul of the manager of a modern
negro minstrel troupe. For many years previous to 1840
the owners of the fields where a muster took place had a
special license from the selectmen to sell spirituous liquors
by the glass. A bar-room was established in some part of
the dwelling house which stood near the field and the profits
from the business sometimes amounted to seventy-five dol-
lars or more.
The members of the uniformed companies displayed a
great degree of interest in military affairs and met together
often for the purpose of drilling, until at length the precision
of their movements excited the admiration of the spectators
HISORY OF CANDIA. 153
whereas the ununiformed companies of infantry took no
pains whatever to make a decent appearance upon parade.
They came to the field arrayed in clothing of all varieties
of material, style and color and there were scarcely any
two sets of equipments which resembled each other. Some
of the muskets were long and heavy, while others were
light fowling pieces. At last those raw, undisciplined in-
fantry companies were felt to be a disgrace to the state and
many of the people contemptuously called them "Slam
BangCompanies", ' 'Flood Wood Companies, " or ' 'String Bean
Companies. " About the year 1830, many young men who
were compelled to perform military duty in those organiza-
tions were determined to make the trainings a still greate1"
burlesque. With this end in view, some of them appeared
upon parade in their work day clothes with old hats and
shoes, ragged coats and breeches. Some were barefoot
and some appeared with old tin pails for canteens and some
with old meal bags for knapsacks. Some pretended to be
so stupid that their officers found it to be impossible to get
them into straight line, and, on the march, some staggered
one way and some another. All the soldiers who were-
full of fun and merriment were ever respectful to their of-
ficers.
In many of the towns the most stupid and incompetent
members of these companies were chosen as officers and
in some cases the members of the" company endeavored to
evade the laws requiring them to performjmilitary duty by
neglecting to attend the meetings for the election of officers.
A case of this kind occurred in the town of Raymond, in
the spring of 1835. One of the ununiformed companies of
that town had neglected to choose officers, whereupon Col.
David Pillsbury, the commander of the regiment, appointed
.Capt. John Rowe of Candia, to take charge of the company.
Capt. Rowe thereupon warned the Raymond men to appear
on May training day near the Congregational meeting
house in Candia, for military exercise. The men appeared
at the appointed time. Capt. Rowe put the members of the
company through a pretty severe course of discipline and
marched them up and down some of the hills of the town
until near sunset when they were dismissed to enjoy the pri-
154 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
vilege of trudging back to their homes, a distance of more
than six miles, in their own way and manner.
At the annual muster of the regiment at Raymond in 1834,
the Chester Light Infantry was accompanied to the field by
the Haverhill, Mass., brass band which had been engaged
for the occasion at much expense. When the review was
about to take place, Col. David Pillsbury, the commander
of the regiment, ordered all the bands present to be united
into one, and to take a position at the head of the line
under the direction of the drum major. Capt. Thomas Smith,
the commander of the Chester Light Infantry, refused to
allow the Haverhill band to obey the order, whereupon Col.
Pillsbury ordered it to leave the field. The band accordingly
retired and took up a position in an adjoining field, a few
rods distant from the regiment, but beyond the jurisdiction
of Col. Pillsbury. All day long the band performed at in-
tervals greatly to the annoyance of the officers and mem-
bers of the regiment as well as a majority of the spectators.
It was well understood that the movements of the Haver-
hill band were dictated by the captain and officers of the
Chester Light Infantry to spite Col. Pillsbury, and with
a view of breaking up the parade.
When the regiment was dismissed at night Col. Pillsbury
left the field in company with the Lieut. Colonel of the regi-
ment, Abraham Emerson, of Candia. When the two officers
reached the highway they were surrounded by the Chester and
Candia Light Infantry and a brisk fire of blank cartridges was
opened upon Col. Pillsbury by which the plumes upon his
cap were destroyed and his uniform much injured. Col.
Pillsbury's horse which became much frightened clung
closely to that upon which Lieut. Col. Emerson was mount-
ed. Under those circumstances, no further injury could be
inflicted upon Colonel Pillsbury without endangering the
safety of Lieut. Col. Emerson. At this point a member of
the Candia Light Infantry privately approached Lieut. Col.
Emerson and requested him to leave Col. Pillsbury to his
fate as the Chester Light Infantry were determined to un-
horse him. Lieut. Col. Emerson refused to comply with
the request and earnestly advised the members of the
Candia company to obey the laws and take no part in an
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 155
attack upon Col. Pillsbury. This advice was heeded and
the Chester company, finding that they could not succeed in
their designs without support, marched off and Col. Pills-
bury and Lieut. Col. Emerson received no further molesta-
tion.
In due time a court martial was summoned to try Capt.
Smith for his conduct in the affair ; but after a long investi-
gation he was acquitted on the ground that there was no
evidence that he had committed any act for which he could
be held responsible to a military tribunal, as the alleged as-
sault upon Col. Pillsbury took place after the regiment had
been dismissed.
In 1840, the laws relating to the militia of the state
were revised and persons having conscientious scru-
ples against bearing arms, and persons between the
ages of forty and forty-five were exempted from performing
military duty. The law also provided that every company
required to be armed with muskets or rifles, and having
thirty-two rank and file should receive from the State arsen-
als muskets or rifles enough to arm said company not ex-
ceeding sixty-four ; that every company having sixty-four
rank and file enlisted and uniformed should receive thirty-
two muskets or rifles.
About the year 1845 a majority of the members of the
artillery company resided in Raymond and the cannon was
removed from Candia to that town.
In 1850, the Legislature passed a law abolishing all parade
duty, inspections and reviews of all companies not raised
by volunteer enlistments ; and provided that uniformed com-
panies might remain organized or become organized by the
enlistment of persons of eighteen years, and upwards. It was
further enacted that instead of regimental reviews and in-
spections the several brigadier generals subject to orders of
the division general might order out their brigades for in-
spection and review.
In 1851, the legislature passed a law to the effect that the
militia of the State should not be required to perform any
active duty, except in case of war or insurrection. The act
also provided that, in case of such emergencies, the volun-
teer uniformed companies should first be called out.
156 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
BRIGADE MUSTER.
During the autumn of 1850 there was a muster of the
volunteer companies which belonged to the five regiments
which constituted the Third Brigade upon a field near the
Congregational church in Chester. The five regiments re-
ferred to were the Eighth which included the companies in
Derry, Londonderry, Salem, Windham and Pelham ; the
Eleventh which included those in Concord, Bow, Pembroke,
Allenstown and Hooksett ; the Seventeenth in Chester, Candia
and Raymond ; the Eighteenth those in Nottingham, Deer-
field, Northwood and Pittsfield ; the Thirty-Eighth those in
Chichester, Canterbury, Loudon and Northfield. The five
regiments were well represented by a large number of vol-
unteer companies in fine uniforms. The Cavalry, the Ar-
tillery, the Chester Light Infantry and the Candia Light In-
fantry represented the Seventeenth regiment. Gen. Atwood
of Pelham, who commanded the Brigade was mounted
upon one of the finest and most celebrated horses which was
ever raised in New England, viz : the old Green Mountain
Morgan stallion, a grandson of Justice Morgan the original
sire of the famous Morgan breed of horses. The day was
fine and there was a great concourse of spectators present.
Maj. Gen. William R. Parker, the commander of the First
Division outranked Gen. Atwood, and reviewed the Brigade.
At the conclusion of the review Col. Amos Hadley of Bow,
an aide-de-camp of Gen. Parker, made a very spirited ad-
dress to the troops. This was the last muster which took
place in the western part of Rockingham county under the
old military system. The military forces of the State
which in 1850 consisted of forty-two regiments, dwindled
down to one regiment and twelve independent companies
in i860. A year or two previous to the last mentioned date
all the cannon and other military stores belonging to the
state were sold under the direction of the Adjutant General.
And so the old four pounder brass cannon, which had been
the pride of the Artillery of the Seventeenth Regiment for
forty years, and had awakened the echoes among the hills
of Candia was at last sold for old junk.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 157
THE LANE RIFLES.
In the year 1873, the legislature passed an act which pro-
vided for the organization of three volunteer regiments of
Light Infantry, a company of Cavalry and a full battery of
Artillery. The three regiments composed a Brigade which
was placed in the command of a Brigadier General. All
the uniforms, arms and equipments were furnished by the
state. The law also provided that these troops should re-
ceive thorough instructions from some competent officer
and go into camp at Concord for the term of one week an-
nually. And it was provided, that all the expenses for pro-
visions for the troops at the encampment and transporta-
tion back and forth should be paid by the state. This body
of troops was called New Hampshire National Guards. The
entire annual expense of keeping up this military system
averages about forty thousand dollars.
In 1876, a company of infantry was organized inCandia,
and attached to the first regiment of the brigade. It was
named the Lane Rifles in honor of Col. George W. Lane of
Derry, a native of Candia. The following are the names of
the first officers who received a commission : Captain, J.
Lane Fitts ; 1st Lieutenant, Henry True Eaton ; 2d Lieu-
tenant, Jesse C. Crowell. The following are the names of
the next board of officers of the company : Captain, Henry
True Eaton ; 1st Lieutenant, Jesse C. Crowell ; 2d Lieu-
tenant, Charles A. Jones.
In 1880 the name of the company was changed to that
of The Patten Guards in honor of the late Captain William
R. Patten.
In 1887, the company was disbanded and the uniforms
and equipments were taken to Derry for the use of a com-
pany which was organized in that place.
MUSTERS IN CANDIA.
The following is a list of the places where musters have
taken place in the town : Upon a field near the railroad
station which was originally owned by Col. Nathaniel Em-
erson, afterwards by his sen Nathaniel Emerson, and now
15$ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
owned by John Cate. The Seventeenth regiment was mus-
tered four or five times, one of which was in 1830.
About the year 1812, the Second Battalion of the regiment
mustered upon a field situated upon the north end of the
lot formerly owned by Master Moses Fitts, and now owned
by John Patten. There were two annual musters of the
regiment upon a field situated on the north side of Patten's
Hill then owned by Joshua Moore, the father of Silden
These musters took place previous to 1820.
In 1823, the annual muster took place upon a field owned
by Benjamin P. Colby, near the Corner. There have been
three or four musters upon a field at the Corner, formerly
owned by Benjamin Pillsbury, William Turner, and John
Moore, Esq., and now owned by Henry W. Moore.
In 1828, the regiment mustered upon a field then owned
by Nehemiah Colby, and now owned by the widow of Rev.
James Adams.
In 1835, the regimental muster took place at the plain on
High Street about a quarter of a mile south of High Street
on land then owned by Capt. Abraham Fitts, and now
owned by Samuel Morrill. The regiment was formed in
the morning on High Street opposite the residence of Mrs.
Abraham Fitts, and marched to the field. Oysters were
among the refreshments which were sold upon the field,
and some of the shells which are still scattered over the
small space upon which they were served seem as fresh
as they were fifty-seven years ago. Two of the uni-
formed companies were provided with dinner at the resid-
ence of Capt. Abraham Fitts on the day of the muster.
Note. On page 140 of this ohapter the name "Col. Samuel D. Mason"
should have been printed Samuel D. Wason. Page 141 the "word "of-
ficers" in the fourth paragraph relating to the Candia Light Infantry
should have been printed captains.
CHAFFER XIX.
MISCELLANEOUS.
CHESTER TURNPIKE.
The Chester Turnpike Corporation was chartered by the
legislature in 1804 for the purpose of building a road from
Pembroke to East Chester meeting house. Among some
of the principal members of the company were John Bell,
Daniel French and Henry Sweetser of Chester, and Isaac
Hill and Amos Kent of Concord. The road, which was
fourteen miles and two hundred rods long, extended through
the southwest corner of Candia from northwest to south-
east, a distance of more than three miles. This section of
the town at the time the road was constructed was mostly
a dense forest. The stock of the coporation was divided
into three hundred shares, rated at ninety dollars each.
The work of constructing the turnpike was done upon
contract by several parties. The section through Candia
was done by Simon A. Heath of Epsom at the rate of four
dollars and fifty cents a rod. The road bed was to be
twenty-six feet wide, the centre to be thirty-six inches
above the gutter ; the causeways to be twenty-two feet wide
and covered with gravel eighteen inches deep. The hills
were to be reduced so that the ascent should not be more
than eighteen inches to a rod. John Melvin and Abraham
Sargent contracted to build the road over Lakin's hill,
which was quite steep, for $3,000, if the tract measured a
mile and three-quarters, or in that proportion. Asa Robin-
son contracted to build the bridge over Suncook river for
$1,000.
There were two toll gates on the turnpike, one of which
was located near the foot of Lakin's hill in Hooksett, and
the other in Chester, now Auburn, about half a mile below
Abraham Hook's present residence. It was provided in
the charter that no tolls should be taken of persons going
159
l6o HISTORY ON CANDIA.
to meetings, funerals, to mill or upon ordinary business in
town, nor of soldiers going- to perform military duty. It
was also provided that, in forty years, the state could take
the road by repaying all expenses and nine per cent inter-
est on the stock.
The road proved to be of great advantage to the farmers
living in the northern and western part of New Hampshire
and Vermont, as it opened a direct route to Boston, New-
buryport, Portsmouth and other markets on the sea-
board where they could readily dispose [of the products of
their farms. For many years great numbers of pungs some
of which were drawn by two horses came down in winter
through this thoroughfare. Sometimes the pungs which
were large open chests or boxes set upon runners came in
companies of from five to twenty each. It often happened
that many of the owners of those pungs struck off from the
turnpike near what is now Rowe's Corner and came down
High Street, and through Candia, on their way to Newbury-
port, Portsmouth or Salem, and returned the same way with
great loads of all sorts of groceries, salt and fresh codfish
and other goods which they had received for their butter,
cheese, corn, wheat, poultry and other products.
Previous to the building of the turnpike the roads in Ches-
ter, Candia and other towns in the vicinity were constructed
in a very simple and bungling manner. It was not cus-
tomary to elevate the centre of the road bed, and to con-
struct gutters so that the water on the road could be readily
drained off. The roadway was merely cleared of the
stumps and stones, and wet places were covered with logs.
The Turnpike company built a tavern at the upper toll
gate, at the foot of Lakin's Hill at their own expense, and
and also cleared a large tract of land for a farm. The tavern
and other buildings cost about $27,00. Anderson's tavern
four miles below was built about the same time. The
tavern at the toll gate was burned about twenty years ago.
The road proved a poor investment on the whole to the
stockholders.
When the Concord Railroad was completed there was
but little travel over the turnpike and in a short time it be-
came a public highway.
[AMES II. FITTS.
Sketch, page 513.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. IOI
THE CURRENCY.
For many years after the settlement of New Hampshire,
there was but little money of any kind in circulation. A
small amount of specie was occasionally brought into the
country by immigrants and some was obtained in the West
India Island in exchange for exports. Trade in the province
was carried on to a great extent by barter. Peltry, beans,
corn and other products were exchanged with the store
keepers for West India and other foreign goods. The gov-
ernment was obliged to take the most marketable products,
such as oak staves, pine boards, salt beef and pork, Indian
corn, wheat, peas, salt fish, etc., in payment for taxes.
In 1690, the want of currency became so pressing that
the province of Massachusetts authorized the emission of
7,000 pounds in paper currency in denominations of five
shillings to five pounds. New Hampshire, which was
then united to Massachusetts, had the advantage of
this currency. In 1709, the New Hampshire Assembly
voted to issue four thousand dollars in bills of credit to be
redeemed in 1 714.
There were seven other emissions of bills of public credit
issued by the Assembly between the years 1 714, and 174 1.
In the latter year the Provincial government took measures
to call in all their bills, establishing their value at only one
quarter the amount of that expressed upon their face.
In 1742, the government made another emission of bills
of various denominations. This issue was called New Tenor,
while those previously issued were called Old Tenor. Bills
of both issues gradually decreased in value from 1720, when
an ounce of silver was equal to seven shillings and six
pence, to 1760, when an ounce of silver was equal to 120
shillings in currency.
At the beginning of the Revolution war paper currency
was issued again by the government of New Hampshire.
The Provincial Congress, which met at Exeter in June, 1775,
issued currency to the amount of ten thousand and fifty
pounds. In July following there was another issue of ten
thousand pounds, and in 1776 an issue of twenty thousand
pounds.
11
l62 HISTORY OP CANDIA.
In July, 1775, the Continental Congress at Philadelphia
ordered an issue of bills to the amount of two millions of
pounds. Of this issue forty thousand pounds were assigned
to New Hampshire. In December of the same year three
millions more of the same currency was issued. During
the first year of the war this currency passed readily at par,
but in 1776, it became greatly depreciated; the Tories did all
they could to lessen its value, and it was counterfeited
in England, and sent over to America and distributed in
large quantities.
In 1 78 1, this currency had so depreciated that it took $200
<. f it to buy a quire of paper, $30 to buy three pounds of
sugar,, and $27 to pay the subscription price of a news-
paper for one year, $25 for a pound of tobacco, $60 for a
bushel of corn, and in the same proportion for all other ar-
ticles. Matthew Patten, a prominent citizen of Bedford,
recorded in his journal that he paid $28 in currency for
fourteen gills of rum, and when he held a court at Chan-
dler's tavern in that town he paid $4- for a mug of toddy.
In 1779, 100 pounds of paper currency circulating in the
province was worth only fourteen pounds in silver. The
people of Candia, as well as those of the other parts of tha
province, suffered greatly on account of the want of a sound
"currency.
The first bank in New Hampshire was established at
Portsmouth, in 1792, with a capital of $160,000. In 1861,
there were fifty-three banks in the state, with an aggregate
capital of more than five millions of dollars. Previous to
that time all the banks in the United States were chartered
by the state governments, and the bills issued in one section
of the Union were not generally current in others.
Many banks failed from lime to time, and counterfeiting
was carried on upon a large scale. All prominent traders
patronized a monthly periodical called the United States
Counterfeiter Detector, in which all banks ,were noted and
the numerous counterfeits of bank bills were described.
With all the care which was taken counterfeit bills were of-
ten passed upon unsuspecting persons.
In 1862, these troubles were done away with. The
State banks were abolished and a great national bank-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 63
ing system was established -by the Federal Government.
By this system National banks in all the states of the Union
are supplied by the government with paper currency for cir-
culation by depositing in the United States Treasury gov-
ernment bonds to the amount of ten per cent above the face
value of the bills, or, in other words, the government re-
quires a deposit of $100,000 in government bonds for $90,000
in National bank bills. By this system the general gov-
ernment is amply secured against all loss and guarantees
the redemption of the bills.
Before the independence of the colonies was secured and
the United States government was established, the curren-
cy was reckoned in pounds, shillings and pence, as in Eng-
land. About the year 1790, the United States government
established a mint at Philadelphia, where gold, silver and
copper currency was coined; but for many years aftewards
the great bulk of the metallic currency in circulation in
New England was of foreign origin, the largest amount be-
ing Spanish milled dollars, half-dollars, quarters, eighths
and sixteenths. The eighths of a dollar were called nine-
penny pieces and were of the value of twelve and one-half
cents : the sixteenths were called four-pence half penny
pieces. There were also silver coins of the value of seven-
teen cents, which were called pistareens.
In 1861, at the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion all
banks in the country suspended specie payments and in few-
weeks, the specie of all kinds almost wholly disappeared.
In this condition of things, the traders and people in all
conditions of life were greatly embarrassed on account of
the difficulty of making change in small amounts.
In some cases, the traders purchased postage stamps in
considerable quantities for use as a medium of exchange
in trading with customers. Other traders issued printed
notes o£ small amounts, which were redeemable at their
stores in bank bills or goods upon presentation. When a
trader was well known to be an honorable man and finan-
cially responsible these fractional notes were taken as cur-
rency without hesitation by other traders, as well as by
citizens generally, though no man had any legal right
whatever to issue them, even for his own accomodation.
164 HISTORY ON CANDIA.
Some of the traders of Candia issued fractional currency
of this kind.
All this difficulty in making change was soon overcome
by the Federal Government, as the Secretary of the Treasu-
ry gave orders to issue fractional currency of various de-
nominations from five to fifty cents, beautifully engraved
and printed upon bank note paper. Soon after the war was
closed metallic currency became abundant and fractional
paper disappeared.
tax list of 1800.
Anderson, — Samuel, William.
Bagley, — Jonathan, Jacob, Samuel, Timothy, William,
William, 3d, Winthrop; Batchelder, — Benjamin, Odlin;
Bean, — Abraham, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Jonathan, Joseph,
Aaron, Nathan, Phinehas, Josiah, Joseph, Reuben, Jona
than, jr.; Brown, — Aaron, Caleb, Caleb, jr., David, Dan-
iel, Richard, Sewell; Bennett, — Burleigh, William, William,
jr.; Blake, — Jeremiah; Burpee, — Nathaniel, Nathaniel J.
Ezra ; Buswell, — Samuel, John.
Clark, — Eleazer, Henry, John, Moses, Henry, jr., Joseph,
Henry, 3d.; Cass, — Benjamin, Samuel, Levi. Jonathan;
day, — John, John, jr., Stephen, Walter ; Collins, — Jonathan;
Critchett, James ; Clifford, — John, Zachariah;Clough, — Sam-
uel, Elijah, Theophilus, Samuel, jr.; Currier, — Jonathan,
Edward, Jonathan, jr., Timothy; Colcord, — Samuel; Cam-
mett, — John ; Colby, — Enoch, Nehemiah.
Dearborn, — Samuel, Thomas; Duncan, — William; Dol-
ber, — Isarel, John.
Eaton, — David, Henry, Ephraim, Benjamin, Paul, True,
Jesse ; Emerson, — Nathaniel, Nathaniel, jr. Moses, Samuel,
Richard; Edmunds, — Edward.
Fowler, — Benjamin ; Foster, — Samuel, Joseph; French, —
Nicholas, Nicholas, jr., Moses, Moses, jr. Simon, John,
Jonathan, John, jr., Mark; Fifield, — Stephen. John ; Fitts, —
Abraham, Daniel, Moses, Reuben.
Griffin, — David; Gordon, Thomas.
Hall,— Obededom, Caleb, Benjamin, Sargent, Jonathan,
Henry, jr.; Hardy, — Samuel; Hills, — John, J.. Josiah;
Heath, David; Hubbard, Benjamin, Joshua; Huntoon, Elijah.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 65
Knowles,— Amos, Amos, jr., Ezekiel, Seth, Levi.
Lane, — John, Peter; Libbee, — Jacob, Abraham; Lang, —
Benjamin.
Miller,— Josiah, Robert, William ; Martin, — John, Moses,
Joseph ; Moore, — John, Joshua, Andrew; Moores, — Peter,
Samuel; Morrill, — Samuel, Samuel, jr., Parker, Josiah.
Nay, Samuel.
Ordway, Asa.
Poor, — Eliphalet ; Palmer, — Joseph, Stephen ; Patten, —
Thomas, Thomas, jr., Robert; Prescott, — David, Josiah ;
Prince, — Caleb ; Pillsbury, — Abijah, David, Jonathan ; Phil-
lips,— William.
Ro we— Isaiah, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Sherburne ; Robie,
Walter, Walter, jr., John, William, Ichabod, Lowell.
Sargent, — John, Josiah, James, Moses, Theophilus, Jona-
than ; Smith, — Oliver, Biley, Jonathan, Oliver, jr., J.Chase,
Timothy, Daniel, Benjamin, Benjamin, jr., James ; Stev-
ens,— Solomon.
Turner, — Moses ; Taylor, — John ; Towle, — Thomas, Wil,
Ham, Elisha, Joseph, Benjamin ; Thorn, — Nathan.
Varnum, James.
Wiggin, — Joseph, Richard ; Wadleigh, — Benjamin ; Ward,
Simon ; Worthen, — David, Jonathan, Samuel, Jacob ; Whit-
tier, — David, Richard; Wason, — John, John, jr. ; Wilson. —
Thomas, Thomas, jr.; Woodman, — Jonathan.
CHAPTER XX.
THE WAR OF REBELLION.
The immediate cause of the civil war between the North-
ern and Southern sections of the Union was the triumph of
the Republican party in i860 and election of Abraham Lin-
coln, its candidate, as President of the United States. That
party in its platform of principles plainly announced its hos-
tility to the further extension of slavery in the territories
belonging to the General Government, and endorsed the
sentiment that the conflict between freedom and slavery
was irrepressible.
Though the Republican party had committed no overt
act against the rights of the South, a large majority of the
statesmen in that section of the country professed to regard
the election of Mr. Lincoln as the beginning of a movement
to abolish slavery throughout the entire nation by law, and
on this 'pretext proceeded to withdraw from the Union.
Within a week after the result of the Presidential election
had been known, a considerable number of the Southern
states seceded from thelJnion, and, on Feb. 4th, 1861, the
Southern Confederacy was established. Jefferson Davis
was chosen President at Montgomery, Alabama.
Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated President of the United
States, March 4th, 1861, and soon afterwards the Federal
authorities despatched a vessel laden with provisions and
other stores for the relief of Fort Sumpter. The Confed-
erates pretended to regard this movement as a threat
on the part of the Federal Government to coerce them into
submission to its authority, and they forthwith opened a
fire upon the vessel and bombarded the fort. After a brave
defense of two or three days Major Anderson, the com-
mander, surrendered to the rebels. This act of war roused
the people of the North to a high pitch of indignation and
excitement. President Lincoln immediately issued a pro-
clamation calling for the enlistment of 75,000 men for three
166
HISTORY OF CAND1A. I 67
months, to crush out the rebellion. Of this number of men
New Hampshire was required to furnish one regiment.
THE FIRST REGIMENT.
In compliance with the requisition of the Federal author-
ities enlistment papers were at once issued by the Adjutant
General for twenty- eight stations in various paits of the
state. It was soon found that a sufficient number of re-
cruits to form a regiment had volunteered. Mason W. Tap-
pan of Bradford was commissioned Colonel, Thomas J.
Whippre of Laconia, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Aaron F. Stev-
ens, Nashua, Major. The regiment arrived in Washington,
May 28th, 1 86 1, and became apart of a brigade command-
ed by General Charles P. Stone. During its term of service the
regiment was not engaged in any battle, but was mostly
employed in guarding the fords of the Potomac river and in
watching the rebels in Virginia, to prevent them from mak
ing an advance upon Washington.
Henry C. Buswell was the only Candia man who enlist-
ed in this regiment.
When President Lincoln issued his call for 75,000 men,
many people of the North believed that the rebellion could
be easily put down with that number of men ; but it soon
became apparent that the contest was to be no holiday af-
fair, but a terrible struggle between the representatives of
the two great sections of the nation, who were equally
brave and determined.
THE SECOND REGIMENT.
Before the organization of the first regiment was complete
the President issued a call for 300,000 men for three years,
and measures were taken to raise other regiments. A camp
was established at Portsmouth, and the second regiment
was soon filled, and in a few days made ready to march to
the front.
Gilman Marston of Exeter was commissioned Colonel,
Frank S, Fiske of Keene, Lieutenant-Colonel, and Jfosiah
Stevens of Concord, Major.
l68 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The following are names of the Candia men who enlisted
in this regiment :
J. Lane Fitts, Wells C. Haines,
John W. Brennan, George W. Clay,
Horace L. Dearborn, James T. Gannon,
Henry C. Norton, Francis A. Fifield,
Samuel C. Carr, George C. Emerson,
John H. Worthen, Edwin J. Godfrey.
The regiment arrived in Washington, June 21st, 1861, and
on Sunday, July 21st, participated in the disastrous battle of
Bull Run. Of Candia's men, Wells C. Haines was severely
wounded in the thigh, while J. Lane Fitts and George C.
Emerson, with nearly fifty others belonging to the Second
regiment, were taken prisoners, to be conveyed to Rich-
mond and incarcerated in Libby Prison. They suffered
greatly from hunger, foul air and on various other accounts.
They were also much abused by the managers of the pris-
on. Lieut. Todd, a Southern rebel, who was a brother
of the wife of President Lincoln, was the chief officer in
charge of the prison. One of the Federal prisoners died
and his body was taken to headquarters by the guards.
This so exasperated Todd that he kicked the corpse into
the gutter. One day while he was on the street near the
prison he overheard some remarks of several prisoners,
which offended him, whereupon he drew his sword and rush-
ing up stairs he stabbed the first prisoner whom he met and
declared that "every damned Yankee ought to be treated
in the same way!" Herman C. Burke, a prisoner who be-
longed to the 10th company of the 79th New York regiment,
was brutally shot and killed while he was standing in a win-
dow to ascertain whether a blanket he had washed was
dry. Firing upon the prisoners was of frequent occurrence.
Wells C. Haines of Candia died of his wounds in Libby
prison. George C. Emerson, a comrade and a fellow pris-
oner, took care of him at the prison.
Mr. Emerson was at length exchanged and returned to
his regiment.
He was slain at the battle of Williamburg.
J. Lane Fitts was taken to the rebel prison pen at Salis-
bury.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 69
One day an attempt was made by some of the prisoners
to b;eak out and escape from confinement ; but the guards
opened fire upon them and the attempt was a failure.
Joel P. Bean of Candia and a member of the Eleventh
New Hampshire regiment was one of the prisoners at the
time ; but he took no part in the attempted escape. He was
sitting in his tent when the guards fired and he was shot
and died in a few hours.
Mr. Fitts. after being confined at Salisbury several months,
was exchanged and soon afterwards rejoined his regiment.
The Second Regiment was present at many of the hard
fought battles of the war among which were Williamsburg,
Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, Second Bull
Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.
THE THIRD REGIMENT.
The Third Regiment \va.< organized at Concord in the
summer of 1861. Enoch Q. Fellows of Sandwich was Col-
onel, John B. Jackson of Portsmouth, Lieutenant-Colonel,
John Bedel of Bath was Major. The following are the
names of the six Candia men who enlisted in this regi-
ment :
Stephen C. Fifield, Stephen Dearborn,
William Robinson. David R, Daniels,
George A. Turner, John Hagan.
The regiment was attached to the expedition to Port Roy-
al, which sailed from Fortress Monroe and arrived at the
former place, Nov. 4th. In June, the regiment was engag-
ed in a battle with the rebels at James' Island. In that
action Stephen Dearborn was killed. The Third regiment
was engaged in the deadly assault upon Fort Wagner and
other battles near Charleston, S. C. ; also at Drury's Bluff,
Chapin's Farm, Bermuda Hundreds and various other en-
gagements.
David R. Daniels of Candia was killed at the assault on
Wagner.
THE FOURTH REGIMENT.
This regiment was organised at Manchester, in Augus
170 HISTORY OK CANDIA.
and September, 1861. Thomas J. Whipple of Laconia was
appointed Colonel, Louis Bell of Farmington, Lieutenant-
Colonel and Jeremiah H. Drew of Salem, Major. This reg-
iment also joined Sherman's expedition to Port Royal. Sub-
sequently it served in Florida for some time. Among the
battles in which it afterwards took part were those of Bermu-
da Hundreds, battle of the mine at Petersburg and the dead-
ly assault on Fort Fisher.
Five men, who were credited to the town ofCandia, were
enlisted in this regiment, viz.,
David Beede, James S. Schemer,
William Beede, Frederick Pherson,
Amos W. Brown.
THE FIFTH REGIMENT.
This regiment was organized at Concord in the summer
of 1861.
Edward E. Cross of Lancaster was Colonel, Samuel G.
Langley of Manchester, Lieutenant-Colonel and William W.
Cook of Derry was Major. The following are the names
of the six men who enlisted in this regiment and were cred-
ited to Candia :
John Sullivan, Patrick Donelly,
James Webb, Charles Fuller,
Frank Rogers, EdWard Boyle.
The Fifth regiment took part in some of the bloodiest
battles of the war, among which were Fair Oaks, Malvern
Hill, Antietam, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg and Deep Bot-
tom.
THE SIXTH REGIMENT,
This regiment was organized in Keene and mustered into
service in November, 1861. Two recruits which were
eredited to the town of Candia, enlisted in that regiment,
viz. :
John Stern, James Sullivan.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 17*
FIRST NEW HAMPSHIRE BATTERY.
The First New Hampshire Battery, which was organized
in Manchester in 1861, was engaged in many of the hard
fought battles of the war, among which were those at Fred-
ericksburg, the second battle of Bull Run and Gettysburg.
James H. Brown and John G, Burbeck of Candia enlisted
in this organization.
THE EIGHTH REGIMENT.
This regiment was organized at Manchester, in the fall
ofi86i. Hawkes Fearing of Manchester was Colonel, O.
W. Lull of Milford, Lieutenant-Colonel and Morrill B. Smith
of Concord, Major. The regiment was a part of the forces
which belonged to General Butler's army at New Orleans
in the spring of 1862. It served many months in Mississip-
pi and took part in the assault on the rebel works at Port
Hudson. The following are the names of the Candia men
who enlisted in this regiment :
Daniel Bean, George H. Roberts,
William Daniels George W. Willey.
THE NINTH REGIMENT.
The Ninth Regiment was organized at Concord, in the
summer of 1362, and left the state under the command of
Colonel E. Q. Fellows. In less than three weeks the regi-
ment took part in the battle of South Mountain, and three
days later engaged in the great battle of Antietam. It
was afterwards engaged at Spottsylvania and various oth-
er actions. Names of the Candia soldiers in this regiment:
Charles B. Carr, Edmund J. Langley,
Charles Fitzum.
THE TENTH REGIMENT.
This regiment wes recruited at Manchester, in the sum-
mer of 1862. Michael T. Donahoe of Manchester was Col-
onel, John Coughlan of Manchester was Lieutenant-Colon
172
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
el. The regiment left for the South in September and was
soon employed in action. It was present at the battle of
Fredericksburg, Drury's Bluff, Cold Harbor, Fort Harrison,
Bermuda Hundreds and various others. Candia furnished
the following men for this regiment :
Nathaniel G. Hardy, William Collins,
Henry T. Eaton, David B. Langley,
Ezekiel L. Shurtleff, John H. Hanson,
Paul G. Robinson.
THE ELEVENTH REGIMENT.
The Eleventh regiment was organized in August, 1862,
and mustered into service at Concord. Walter Harriman of
Warner was Colonel, Moses A. Collins of Exeter, Lieut-
enant-Colonel and Evarts W. Farr was Major. William
Patten of Candia was commisioned a captain in this
regiment and he proceeded to raise a company, the follow-
ing being the names of the Candia men who enlisted in
this company :
R. Baxter Brown.
Charles C. Page,
Edmund Harris,
George W. Brown,
Heman O. Mathews,
William M. Clark,
Thomas J. Morrill,
Albert M. Morrill,
Charles R. Rowe,
H. Dexter Reed,
Charles M. Lane,
Levi Barker, jr.,
Daniel C. Davis,
Reuben H. Dunn,
Frederick F. Emerson,
Joseph L. Gleason,
Augustus B. Gile,
Hiram G. Gleason,
George H. Hartford,
Angustus Archer,
Joel P. Bean,
Jesse D. Bean,
Manson M. Brickett,
Asa E. Buswell,
Charles C. Brown,
Edward F. Browm
Charles A. Jones,
James H. Morrill.
Henry W. Rowe,
Charles E. Wason.
Llewlyn Wallace,
Edward B. Robinson,
Robert Clark,
Leonard F. Dearborn,
Ansel Emerson,
Ezra W. Foss,
John H. Gile,
George W. Grfrin,
Woodbury Hartford,
John A. Haines.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
173
John Wilson, Thomas O. Reynolds,
John Brown, George Smith,
John Nelson, Martin Rasser,
Charles Smith, Edward Black,
George C. Brown.
Edmund Harris of Candia, a soldier of the Eleventh, was
the first man belonging to the regiment who was killed at
the battle of Fredericksburg. He was shot immediately
after the regiment crossed the river and was marching
through the town.
THE FIFTEENTH REGIMENT.
This was the first regiment raised by the state under the
call of the President for three hundred thousand nine
months troops. The regiment was organized at Concord
in the autumn of 1862 and J. W. Kingman of Durham was
appointed Colonel, Henry W. Blair of Plymouth, Lieuten-
ant-Colonel. The regiment sailed for New Orleans, and
was attached to the army of General Banks. In May, 1863,
the regiment was ordered to embark for Baton Rouge, and
soon after it was engaged in the attack upon the rebel works
along the Mississippi at Port Hudson and vicinity. From
this time to June, 1863, it was employed in throwing up
earthworks, building magazines, moving guns, digging rifle
pits and supporting batteries. Subsequently the regiment
took part in several severe engagements with the enemy
and lost a considerable number of men in killed and wound-
ed. The following are the names of the Candia men who
served in this regiment :
George W. Taylor. Edward P. Lane*
Joseph Avery, Levi Barker,
Walter W. Bean, John C. Fifield,
Franklin Clay. Samuel C. Nay,
David Hall, Benjamin F. Swain.
Andrew J. Mead, George C. Fifield,
John H. Brown.
*Died in the service.
I 74 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
THE EIGHTEENTH REGIMENT.
In July, 1864, an order was issued from the War De-
partment, calling for five hundred thousand volunteers.
Under this call the New Hamphire authorities commenced
recruiting the Eighteenth regiment. Thomas L. Livermore
of Milford was Colonel, Joseph M. Clough of New London
was Lieutenant-Colonel and William I. Brown of Fisher-
ville was Major. The regiment reported to General Fere-
ro at Bermuda Hundreds in May, 1865. The regiment was
engaged in Virginia for a short time before the surrender
of General Lee to General Grant, and returned to New-
Hampshire in July, 1865. The following are the names of
the men who enlisted in this regiment as a part of the quota
of the town of Candia:
Samuel C. Nay. Lewis H. Cate,
William G. Fitts. George L. Merrirield,
|ohn W. Means, John C. Fifield,
Orestes I. Bean, Frank G Buzzell.
John L. Quimby, Lewis D. Moore.
NEW HAMPSHIRE HEAVY ARTILI.eKY.
In April, 1863, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles H. Long of
the Seventeenth New Hampshire Regiment of Infantry
was commissioned as captain of the First Company of
Heavy Artillery of Volunteers for the special defence of
Portsmouth Harbor. The Company was raised and station-
ed at Fort Constitution. Other companies were raised and
stationed at Portsmouth. In May, 1864, these companies
were transfered to Washington to relieve the garrisons at
the forts of that city. During the winter of 1865 a very
large force of Heavy Artillery garrisoned a line of works
ten miles in extent. During the latter part of 1864! the fol-
lowing Candia men enlisted in this arm of the serv: ;e:
Aaron F. Patten. Orlando Brown,
George H. Brown, Cyrus W. Truel.
William F. Eaton. Reuben H. Fitts.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. [ 75
FIRST NEW HAMPSHIRE CAVALRY.
The First Regiment of New Hampshire Cavajry was raised
in the state in the spring of 1864. Four companies of the
regiment consisted of veterans who were raised in New
Hampshire in 1861 and formed a battalion which became
a part of the New England Cavalry. The first Major of the
New Hampshire battalion was David B.Nelson of Man-
chester. The battalion was mustered into service at Con-
cord, and in December. 1861, went into camp in Rhode Is-
land. In March, 1862, the regiment proceeded to Washing-
ton and soon afterwards its name was changed from tin-
New England to the First Rhode Island Cavalry.
In January, 1864, the New Hampshire battalion was de-
tached from the Rhode Island Cavalry with a view of form-
ing a regiment of men exclusively from the former state.
The New Hampshire battalion was mostly employed in
in Virginia during the war and participated in various im-
portant battles. The following are the names of Candia
men who belonged to the regiment:
Edward Mathews. Charles H. Turner, bugler,
Fdward Gleason. James Wright,
Thomas Harvey. George Bower,
fames Robinson, James Thomas.
Edward Batier, Charles Dubois.
Charles C. Morey. Lowell W. Marston,
Charles H.Fifield,
RECRUITS FOR THE COLORED REGIMENTS.
The following are the names of the men who enlisted as
a part of the quota of soldiers of the town of Candia, the
most of them assigned to colored regiments :
James Green, James O. Donnell,
Alexander White. Thomas Marks,
Richard Ha ward, Robert Field*
Jacob Shearman, James Cheney,
William H. Williams. Joseph B. Quimby,
Thomas Smith. Nicholas Johnson, t
John Fo</an. William Robins,
I76 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
John Gardner, Henry A. Turner,
Frank Stanton, Orren Witherell.
Carl Neagle.
*Served in the marine. fNavy.
VETERAN RESERVE CORPS.
The following are the names of three recruits who enlist-
ed in the U. S. Veteran Reserve Corps :
Horace G. Coburn, Nelson Hurd,
James Webber.
DIED IN SERVICE.
The following are the names of Candia soldiers who died
in the service in addition to those alreayy mentioned :
Charles B. Carr, Edward F. Brown,
Nathaniel G. Hardy. Llewellyn Wallace,
Edward P. Lane, Daniel Hall,
Benjamin F. Swain, Charles F. Hoyt,
George W. Clay, William M. Clark,
George Mead.
ACTION OF THE TOWN OF CANDIA IN SUPPORT OF THE UNION.
The citizens of Candia during the great rebellion with
unanimity rallied to the support of the Federal Government
in exercising its authority over all the states and territories,
and did all that was required of them in aiding in the en-
listment of soldiers and in the support of their families.
At a legal town meeting held Oct. 17, 186 1, it was voted
that the selectmen be authorized and instructed to raise by
loan a sum of money not exceeding five hundred dollars,
and expend so much of the same as they think proper in
aiding the families of such persons as have enlisted into
the service of the United States from this town, also that
the same provision be granted to all who may hereafter
enlist.
At the annual town meeting in March, 1862, Voted that
that the selectmen abate the poll tax of all soldiers that
JOSEPH C. LANGFORD.
Sketch, page 510.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 177
have enlisted into the U. S. service from this town. At
a legal town meeting held Aug. 14, 1862, Voted, that
one thousand dollars be raised to aid the families of volun-
teers.
Voted, that the selectmen hire, at the lowest rate of in-
terest, a sufficient sum of money to pay each volunteer who
has enlisted, or who may enlist into the service of the Uni-
ted States for three years, and who has been mustered into
said service to make up the quota of Candia, agreeable to
the last call of the President for three hundred thousand
men, two hundred dollars.
Voted, to add one hundred dollars, making three hun-
dred dollars to each volunteer.
It was also voted to pay the nine months men one hun-
dred and fifty dollars each.
At a legal town meeting which was held January 10,
1863, it was voted, to appopriate six hundred dollars to aid
the families of volunteers.
At the annual town meeting held in March, 1863, VUed,
to raise one thousand dollars to aid the families of volun-
teers.
At a town meeting held July 14, 1863, Voted, to appropri-
ate two thousand dallars to aid the families of volunteers.
At a legal town meeting held Sept. 2, 1863, it was voted
to pay each drafted man three hundred dollars whether he
serves himself or procures a substitute.
At a town meeting held November 30, 1862, the select-
men were instructed to procure a sufficient number of men
at as low a rate as may be ; and that the town raise a sum
of money, not exceeding eight thousand dollars, and ap-
propriate as may be necessary in procuring said men.
At the annual town meeting, held in March, 1864, it was
voted to raise one thousand dollars to aid the families of
volunteers.
At a legal meeting held April 28, 1864, it was voted to
pay veteran soldiers three hundred dollars bounty. It was
also voted to raise two thousand, five hundred dollars as
bounty to raw recruits and $5,000 to fiill quotas prior to
March, 1865.
At a legal meeting held August, 1864, it was voted
12
178 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
to raise fifteen hundred dollars to aid the families of volun-
teers. It was also voted to raise five thousand dollars in
addition to what had been already raised; and to pay draf-
ted, or substitutes for drafted or enrolled men, the highest
bounties allowed by law.
At a town meeting held December 28, 1864, it was voted
to pay volunteers resident in Candia six hundred dollars
for one year. It was also voted to raise a sum not exceed-
ing twelve thousand dollars to pay volunteers and substi-
tutes.
At the annual town meeting held in 1865 it was voted to
raise twelve hundred dollars to aid the families of volun-
teers.
THE BOUNTIES.
The town of Candia paid no bounties to the soldiers who
belonged to the town previous to the summer of 1862.
In August and September, 1862, the town paid its soldiers
a bounty of $300 each, and all the soldiers who enlisted
for the town at that time signed a receipt in the Selectmen's
books for that amount.
The town paid a bounty of $150 to soldiers who enlisted
for nine months.
The men who enlisted in August and September, 1862,
belonged mostly to the Tenth, Eleventh, Fifteenth and
Eighteenth regiments.
The following are the names of the soldiers who enlisted
for three years to fill up the quota of Candia in 1864, with
the. amount of bounty the town paid each :
James Thomas, $300.
Thomas Harvey, $300.
James Wright, $360.
George Bower, $395.
Malcolm McKinne, $395.
Edward Baitor, $395.
Charles Dubois, $400.
George A. Turner, $300.
William Robinson, $300.
Richard Haward, colored, -300.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
•79
Alexander White, $400.
Robert Field, $300.
Nicholas Johnson, $300.
Cyrus W. Truel, $300.
William F. Eaton, $300.
John W. Brown, $300.
DRAFTED MEN.
The following are the names of the m.;n belonging to
Candia, who were drafted in 1863, to fill up the quota of
the town, and the names of the substitutes they procured
by paying them $300 each:
Drafted Men.
William Patten,
Frederick Clay.
Wallace N. Young,
Caleb Brown,
Franklin Hall,
Substitutes.
Thomas Marks,
Carl Fitzum,
John Stevens,
James Sullivan,
James Hern.
The following are the names of enrolled men and the
names of the substitutes who went to the war in their places
and were paid $300 each : .
Enrolled Men.
Daniel S. Bean,
John Batchelder,
S. Freeman Rowe,
John H. Noyes,
George F. Patten,
John S. Patten,
Jeremiah Brown,
Edward W. Hall,
Moses French,
George W. Morrill,
George Smith,
Alvin D. Dudley,
Joseph C. Smith,
Substitutes.
Joseph B. Quimby,
Thomas Smith,
John Logan,
Frank Rogers,
John Gardner,
Charles S. Fuller,
Frank Stanton,
James Webb,
James Cheney,
William Williams,
James Gunn,
John, Haines,
Edward Boyle.
As the war went on men wfyp were willing to take the held
became much scarcer and largely increased bounties
were offered. The following are the names of the men
who enlisted in 1864 to fill up the quota of Candia and were
i8o
HISTORY Of CANDIA.
paid bounties by the town, and the amount paid to each as
appears by the Selectmen's books :
Aaron F. Patten, for one year, $300.
Orlando Brown, $300.
Reuben H. Fitts, $300.
Samuel C. Nay, $300.
John C. Fifield, $600.
Orestes Irving Bean, $600.
Lewis H. Gate, $600.
William G. Fitts, $600.
Samuel S. Carr, $600.
George L. Merrirleld, $600.
John W. Mears, $600.
John L. Quimby, $600.
Frank G. Buzzell, $600.
Lewis D Moore, $600.
STATE ANO U. S. GOVERNMENT BOUNTIES.
When the first eight regiments were raised and sent to
the field the state paid each soldier a bounty of ten dollars.
In 1862, the state raised the bounty to volunteers, first to
#20, next to $50, and $60 and finally near the close of the
war offered $300.
The General Government near the close of the year 1864
offered re-enlisted veterans a bounty ot $400.
At the close of the war the General Government gave each
soldier who had served three years $100.
BOUN1Y JUMPERS.
It will be readily seen that a large number ot the men
who were enlisted to serve in the war as a j art of the quota
of Candia were substitutes, who were hired by the town
authorities. It is probable that the most of the names un-
der which they enlisted were fictitious. The business of
furnishing substitutes for the towns in all parts of the North
was carried on upon a very large scale, and the profits
HISTORY OF CAND1A. l8l
were so great that many of those who were engaged in it
at the close of the war retired with a handsome fortune.
It was well understood that some of the substitute brok-
ers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts cleared from
$20, coo to $50,000 or more apiece.
Gov. Walter Harriman, who was Colonel of the Eleventh
N. H., regiment, in his history of Warner, refers to this mat-
ter in the following terms: "The town, state and na-
tional bounties in 1864 amounted to $1,000 or $1,200 per
man and bounty jumping became a business. A man
would enlist for a certain town, take his bounty, desert,
and, under another name, enlist for another town ; and so
continue enlisting and deserting to the end of the war.
The South was visited, the great cities were hunted and
Canada was raked over for recruits. Even the doors of the
jails and prisons were opened in certain cases and the in-
mates were granted immunity from punishment on enlist-
ing as soldiers to vindicate the integrity of the government.
Of such recruits 625 were sent to fill the depleted ranks of
the Eleventh, N. H., regiment ; but only 240 of them ever
reached the regiment at all.
"The N. H. Adjutant General's Report for 1865 gives the
names of 425 recruits who were enlisted in 1864 under the
stimulus of extravagant bounties, 300 of whom deserted in
less than two months; 122 are not accounted for, two died
and one served his country."
SPECULATING IN SOLDIERS' CLAIMS.
In the course of the war the state and town authorities
frequently gave their notes to the soldiers for bounties for
the reasou that they had no money in the treasury at the
time. Many of the soldiers, especially many of those who
were hired as substitutes, were so anxious to get their mon-
ey at once that they were willing to make extravagant dis-
counts on their claims. Here was a grand opportunity
for the shrewd speculator who loved (?) his country. With
his pockets chock full of bank bills he was ready to accom-
odate these poor soldiers. Sometimes the aforesiad specula-
I 82 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tor would buy a claim of $300 or $400 against a town or
state for half its face value, and in a few days afterwards
the claims were paid and he was rejoicing that his noble
deed of charity was so soon rewarded.
THE V>'«AK DEBT OF CANDIA.
At the close of the war in 1865, the debt of Candia was
upwards of $50,000. Sometime after that date the town re
ceived from the state bonds to the amount of $12,000 to-
wards the payment of its debt.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
CHAPTER XXI.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY, Continued.
THE CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY.
Rev. Tristram Gilman, who, in 1768, declined to accept
a call to the work of the ministry in Candia was born in
Durham and was graduated at Harvard College, in 1759.
He became the settled minister of a church in North Yar-
mouth, Maine.
Rev. Jonathan Searle, who also declined a call to settle
in town, was a graduate of Harvard College. After leaving
Candia he was ordained as a minister of the church in Sa-
lisbury in 1772, He was dismissed in 1789 and died in
1818 from the effects of intemperance.
Rev. David Jewett the first settled minister in town was
a graduate of Harvard College, of the class of 1769. Dur-
ing his residence in Candia the war of the Revolution was
in progress and he took an active t part in support of the
patriot cause. He voluntarily deducted three pounds
from his salary to aid his parishioners, who were heavily
taxing themselves to raise the means to carry on the war.
Upon one occasion he assisted in forwarding ammunition
and a supply of flints to the soldiers who were serving at
the front. He settled over a church in Winthrop, Maine, in
1782, and died there after a ministry of fourteen months, at
34 years of age.
In 1770, while Mr. Jewett was settled in Candia the Con-
gregational church was organized.
The following are the names of the first members: Ste-
phen Palmer John Hills, Amos Knowles. Theophilus Sar-
gent, Benjamin Batchelder, Jonathan Hills, Nathaniel Bur-
pee, Susan Robie, Abraham Fitts, Samuel Mooers, Henry
Clark, Nathaniel Emerson, Nicholas French, and Mehit-
able Robie; Stephen Palmer and John Hills were chosen
deacons.
Rev. Joseph Prince was born in Boston, in 1723. When
183
184 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
he was 7 years old he lost the use of one of his eyes by an
accident, and when he was fourteen years old the other eye
failed him and he became completely blind. On this ac-
count he became very despondent and gave expression to
his feelings in a poem. He had a very remarkable mem
ory and was able to report sermons and addresses with
great accuracy.
He began his religous work at the time when the cele-
brated George Whitefield of England visited America the
first time. He began to exhort and pray at revival meet-
ings and in private dwellings, andin a short time the places
where he held forth were crowded. His exhortations were
acceptable to the people, but when he began to preach he
met with much opposition. His father was greatly offen-
ded by his attempt to preach without a license and rebuked
him in severe terms. Sometime afterwards, however, he
relented, having become convinced that he had wronged
his son and invited him to preach in his own house.
Mr. Prince visited Connecticut where the laws were very
strict against itinerant preachers, and soon met with great
opposition. He was finally arrested and punished by ban-
ishment; as he was hurried along by the constables he often
made appointments to preach. He afterwards traveled
through the most of the New England states, seldom stop-
ping more than two days in any one place. Upon an av-
erage he preached ten sermons a week. In 1747, he mar-
ried Sarah Carpenter, a daughter of Captain Ezekiel Carpen-
ter of Attleborough, Mass. They had twelve sons and one
daughter. All these children became in their turn guides
to their sightless father.
Mr. Prince was employed for sometime as an assistant
to Rev. Nicholas Gilman of Durham. From Durham here-
moved to Barrington and was ordained as the first minister
in that town. He was dismissed in 1768, and removed to
Wiscasset in Maine. The war of the Revolution was then
raging and Wiscasset was bombarded by a British frigate.
This circumstance and other troubles incident to the war
made it necessary forhim to seek a place of gieater safety.
He came to Candia, in 1878, and made an engagement
to take charge of the religious soiety for a certain period,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 1 85
but he was not permanently settled. His sermons were
carefully thought out at his home and arranged in his mind
and delivered from memory. His wife or some other
member of the family read to him such books as were re-
quired, and he was always attended by some one when he
called upon his parishioners. On Sundays he was escorted
to the meeting house and conducted through the broad
aisle to the pulpit.
He preached in Candia about seven years, and then he
ceased to hold the position of pastor of a church, though he
continued to preach as opportunities offered. While he was
on a visit to his brother in New York he preached several
times in that city and also in New Jersey. While sojourn-
ing in the latter state he made an appointment to preach at
the town of Manchester. On his way to the church he was
much prostrated by a paralytic shock. He was able, how-
ever, to fulfil the engagement to preach, but he never occu-
pied a pulpit afterwards.
In 1790, he removed to Newburyport, Mass., and died
there in 1791, at 68 years of age. Rev. Mr. Murray, a dis-
tinguished clergyman of Newburyport, preached a sermon
at the funeral in which the deceased was described as an
eloquent orator and devout Christian. His remains were
deposited in the vault of the First Presbyterian Church by
the side of those of George Whitefield, who had died in that
place a few years previous. •
After Rev. Mr. Prince removed from Candia, Rev. Mr.
Lambert, Rev. Mr. Howe, Rev. Mr. Tilley and other cler-
gymen were employed at various times to preach for the
church and society.
Rev. Jesse Remington was born in Abbington, Mass., in
1760, and was graduated at Harvard College, in 1784. In
1808, the college conferred upon him the degree of Master
of Arts. He studied theology and came to Candia, 1790.
After preaching a few Sabbaths he was invited to settle as
minister over the church and society.
He accepted the call and was ordained in the fall of that
year.
While he was preaching as a candidate he boarded at the
residence of Dr. Samuel Foster, who then owned the place
1 86
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
on South Road recently possessed by A. J. Edgerly and
now owned by Mr. Clough.
The members of the Council of Ministers and delegates
from the neighboring churches, who took part in the ordi-
nation services were entertained at Dr. Foster's residence
at an expense to the town of ten pounds and sixteen shil-
lings. Soon after Mr. Remington took up his residence in
Candia he was married to Polly Jenness, a daughter of
Thomas Jenness of Deerfield. They had quite a large
family of children.
Mr. Remington was regarded as a very thorough scholar
and an able preacher and was very highly esteemed by his
brethren in the ministry as well as by the people of his pa-
rish. His constitutional impulsiveness sometimes brought
him into difficulty, but no man was more willing to confess
his faults than he. He was devout, diligent and untiring
in his efforts to promote the welfare of his people.
There were no theological seminaries for the instruction
and training of candidates for the ministry in this country
a hundred years ago and many young men received in-
struction to fit them for the profession from the ablest and
most distinguished clergymen whp were active in the per-
formance of the duties of their calling. Rev. Mr. Reming-
ton had serveral theological students who boarded with
him at the parsonage, among whom were Rev. Josiah Web-
ster of Chester and Rev. David L. Morrill , who was sever-
al years a settled minister at Goffstown and afterwards
Governer of the State and Senator in Congress.
Near the close of 1814, Mr. Remington was afflicted with
a painful sickness, which terminated his life March 6, 181 5.
His funeral which took place March 6 at the meeting house,
was attended by a large concourse of people. Rev. Mr.
Prentice of Northwood, Rev. Abraham Burnham of Pem-
broke, Rev. Nathaniel Wells of Deerfield and other clergy-
men participated in the exercises. Rev. Mr. Prentice
preached the funeral sermon from the text, ' Be ye also
ready, for :'n such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh." The preacher, at the close of his sermon, very
tenderly addressed the widow and children of the deceased,
his brethren in the ministry, the members of his church and
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 87
the congregation. The sermon was printed in Concord and
distributed among the people of Candia.
Rev. Isaac Jones was the successor of Rev. Mr. Reming-
ton as pastor of the Congregational church and society. He
was born in Hopkinton, Mass., 1782.. and studied theology
with Rev. Samuel Austin of Worcester, Mass. He brought a
letter of recommendation from the Congregational church
at Williamstown, Mass., where he had been previously
settled.
The installation of Mr. Jones took place Feb. 7, 1816.
The sermon was delivered by Rev. Dr. Asa McFarland of
Concord. Charge by Rev. Nathaniel Howe of Hopkinton,
Mass., Right Hand of fellowship, by Rev. Nathaniel Wells
of Deerfield.
Mr. Jones was a man of tender susceptibilities, refined
tastes and superior intellegence. He very soon secured
the esteem and warm effection of the people, but his minis-
try was of short duration. He became discouraged and
nervous and his health became much impaired. He be-
came so sensitive that he could not bear the sounds which
proceeded from the anvils in Ichabod Cass' blacksmith
shop, which stood opposite the parsonage. He was dis-
missed by a council in 18 18, of which Rev. Abraham Burn-
ham was moderator.
After leaving Candia, Rev. Mr. Jones was employed as
the stated supply in a church at Plaistow, also in Billerica
and Wellfleet, Mass., and Tiverton, R. I.; also labored as a
missionary in several of the New England States. In his
old age he went to Deny and resided with one of his sons,
who at one time was Superintendent of the State Reform
School. He died about the year 1872 at upwards of 90
years of age.
Rev. Abraham Wheeler, who was the fourth settled min-
ister in the town, was born in Grafton, Mass., in 1779, and
was graduated at Williams' College, at Williamstown ,
Mass.. He studied theology and was ordained over a
Congregational Church in Fairhaven, Mass. He was mar-
ried to a woman in that place by the name of Mary Sar-
gent, the same as that which was borne by his third and
last wife, to whom he was united in Candia. By his first
1 88
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
wife he had one son, named Abraham Wheeler. While he
resided in Fairhaven his first wife died, and some time
afterwards he was married to Mary Ann Albro of that
place. By this marriage he had a daughter named Mary
Ann Wheeler, who was born in Fairhaven. He remained
in Fairhaven seven years, after which he preached a
short time in Pelham and in several other places. He
came to Candia in 1818 and, after preaching a few Sun-
days, he was invited to settle over the church and society.
He accepted the invitation to be installed January 12,1819.
The Council of Ministers and Delegates met at the resi
dence of William Duncan. The following was the order
of exercises at the installation: —
Introductory prayer, Rev. Dr. Asa McFarland, of Con-
cord ;
Sermon, Rev, John H. Church, of Pelham ;
Right Hand of Fellowship, Rev. Stephen Bailey, of
Raymond ;
Charge, Rev. Josiah Carpenter, Chichester.
Concluding Prayer, Rev. Josiah Prentice, ofNorthwood.
Mr. Wheeler soon became quite popular in the town on
account of his ability and good practical common sense.
He was a portly and fine looking man, and made a good ap-
pearance in the pulpit. He was, moreover, an excellent
baritone singer and freely joined with other singers at con-
ference and prayer meetings. He resided at the old parson-
age about nine years, when be bought of Nicholas French
the farm and buildings on the North Road: which are now
owned and occupied by the widow of the late Thomas
Morse.
In 1824, Mr. Wheeler was sorely afflicted by the insanity
of his wife, which very soon followed the birth of a child,
that lived only a few hours. Everything possible was done
to restore her, and for a few months she was a patient at
the Somerville, Mass., Insane Asylum After it had
been found that she was a confirmed lunatic she was
brought to her home and confined in a room of Mr. Wheel-
er's residence, situated in the first story of the L of the
building. Soon after she became insane she escaped from
confinement and fled like a deer to the woods and fields
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 89
pursued by some of the family or some of the neighbors.
Though a very delicate woman she would sometimes per-
form feats of almost superhuman strength by lifting heavy
boulders or other impediments which she found in her way.
Mr. Wheeler bore up under his misfortunes with great for-
titude and patience and had the hearty sympathy of the
members of his flock. Mrs. Wheeler died in March 1832,
during the progress of a four days meeting at the old
church. The funeral took place in the church and the
exercises were conducted by some of the clergymen who
were in attendance at the meeting.
A few months after the death of his second wife, Mr.
Wheeler was united in marriage with Miss Mary Sargent,
a daughter of Samuel Sargent, who resided on the South
Road. Miss Sargent had previously resided in the family
of Mr. Wheeler as his housekeeper. Soon after the mar-
riage, a few of the parishioners of Mr. Wheeler opposed
him with considerable bitterness for the reason, apparently
that the union was not exactly in accordance with their
tastes and wishes, though the bride was regarded as a very
sensible and worthy woman. Under the circumstances,
Mr. Wheeler concluded to resign his position and "seek a
home elsewhere. A council of ministers and delegates
from the neighboring churches was accordingly called to
take into consideration the unpleasant relations which ex-
isted between the pastor and his opponents. No specific
charges of wrong doing were preferred against him and the
council passed resolutions unanimously expressing their
confidence in his integrity and faithfulness as a minister
and heartily recommended him to the favorable considera-
tion of all other churches.
Mr. Wheeler preached a farewell sermon from the text :
•'And they cried, away with him!" in which he severely
scathed those who had opposed him. The preacher and
many of his hearers were moved to tears on the occasion.
Mr. Wheeler sold his place on the North Road to Stephen,
the father of Gov. Smyth, for $1,800. Soon after leaving the
town he was installed over a Congregational Church at
Meredith Bridge, now Laconia. He remained in that place
seven vears and then removed to the West. After officiat-
I90 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ing as a Congregational minister a year or two in Ohio, he
became an Episcopalian in sentiment, received orders and
was finally settled over an Episcopal Church in the town of
Grafton, which is situated about twelve miles from Cleve-
land. In 1857 Gov. Frederick Smyth visited him and his
daughter Mary Ann at his residence and upon the latter's
request, Mr. Wheeler went to Cleveland and sat for a pho-
tograph of himself. Gov. Smyth paid the bill for the pic-
ture which was an excellent likeness. An enlarged copy
now hangs in the vestry of the Congregational church in
Candia.
Mr. Wheeler died Dec. 4th, 1857, aged about 78 years.
His daughter, Mary Ann, died about ten years ago. His
son Abraham soon after leaving New Hampshire was en-
gaged as a traveling salesman in the West. After pursu-
ing the business a year or two he disappeared and his
father and sister never saw him again. It was thought
that he was a victim of foul play.
After the death of her husband, Mrs. Wheeler returned to
Candia to reside among her friends and relatives. She
erected a handsome monument to the memory of her
husband in the old cemetery near the grave of his second
wife.
Mrs. Wheeler the third wife died about six years ago and
her remains were buried near the monument she had erect-
ed in honor of her husband.
Rev. Charles P. Russell, the fifth minister of the Congre-
gational church was born in Greenfield, Mass. He receiv-
ed a college education, studied theology and was licensed
to preach in 1 83 1. He supplied various churches in Mas-
sachusetts, during a period of about two years and came to
Candia in 1833. He soon after accepted a call and settled
over the Congregational church. Rev. Abraham Burnham
of Pembroke was the moderator of the council. The fol-
lowine was the order of exercises at the ordination :
Sermon by Rev. Jonthathan Clement of Chester.
Charge to pastor, Rev. Julian Smith of Exeter.
Ordaining Prayer, Rev. Benjamin Sargent of Auburn.
Right-hand of Fellowship, Rev. E. L. Parker of Derry.
Mr Russell was a man of fine culture and refinement,
HISTROV OF CANDIA. 191
and he secured the esteem and affection of the people.
In his sermons and addresses he appealed less to the fears
of his hearers and more to their moral and spiritual in-
stincts then was the custom with his predecessors and some
of his successors.
He boarded for a considerable period in the family of
William Duncan the trader, and thus came into intimate
relations with William Duncan, jr., his gifted and accom-
plished son. In 1839, he was married to a daughter of
Judge William M. Richardson of Chester and went to house
keeping in the west part of the dwelling house then owned
by Deacon Daniel Fitts; but now owned by the widow of
Dr. Page. He retired from the ministry in T842 and accept
ed a clerkship in the post-office department at Washington.
He held that position many years. He died several years
ago.
Rev. William Murdock was born in West Boylston
Mass., in 18 13. He was graduated at Amherst College in
1837 and became a student at Andover Theological Semi-
nary. He graduated at the Seminary in 1841 and was
married that same year to Miss Mary J. Reed of Rutland.
He was ordained pastor of the Congregational church in
Candia, Dec. 1st, 1841. Rev. Abraham Burnham, of Pem-
broke was moderator of the Council, and Rev. P B. Day
of Derry was scribe. The following was the order of exer-
cises at the ordination : Invocation, Rev. E. N. Hidden of
Deerfield. Introductory prayer, Rev. Nathaniel Wells,
Deerfield, Sermon, Rev. Edward L. Parker, Derry. Charge
to the pastor, Rev. Jonathan Clement, Chester. Right
rund of fellowship, Rev. David Andrews, Pepperell, Mass.
Charge to the people, Rev. C. W. Wallace, Manchester.
Concluding prayer, Rev. Mr. Day, Derry.
While Mr. Murdock resided in Candia, he was afflicted
by the the death of his wife and two infant children.
On account of failing health he resigned his pastorate
and left Candia in May, 1853.
He preached in Boylston, Mass., from 1857 to 1859, and
in Center Harbor for some time in 1862.
Mr. Murdock continued to reside at Boylston most of the
time after he left Candia, until his death, Nov. 13th, 1879.
I92 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
He had retired in his usual health the evening before. It
is supposed that he died of heart disease. He left a second
wife, Miss Caroline Holmes of Londonderry and three
children, one of whom is William Murdock, of the firm of
Sampson & Murdock, Directory publishers, Boston.
Rev. William T. Herrick, a native of Vermont, was grad-
uated at the University of Vermont at Burlington, and
after completing his theological studies he was ordained
pastor of a church in Winooski, Vermont, in 185 1. He was
installed pastor of the Congregational Church in Candia
July 5, 1854.
The following was the order of exercises :
Invocation and reading of the scriptures, Rev. E. F.
Abbott, Deerfield ;
Introductory prayer. Rev. William Murdock ;
Sermon, Rev. Dr. Nathan Lord, President of Dartmouth
College, at Hanover ;
Installing prayer, Rev. J. W. Wellman, Deny;
Right hand of fellowship, Rev. David Burt Raymond ;
Address to the people, Rev. S. C. Bartlett, Manchester ;
Concluding prayer, Rev. Robert Crossett.
Mr. Herrick was dismissed in [S48. He was stated sap-
ply of a church in Pelham from 1858 to 1861, and from 1861
to 1 87 1 he was stated supply at Clarendon, Vermont.
Soon after the resignation of Rev. Mr. Herrick, Rev.
Ephraim N. Hidden was invited to become the pastor of
the society. He was born in Tamworth, August, 181 1.
He fitted for college at Exeter and was graduated at Dart-
mouth in 1830; he was then perceptor of Gilmanton Acade-
my from 1836 to 1838. He studied for the ministry at Gil-
manton Theological Seminary and was graduated in 1840.
He was ordained pastor of the Congregational Church in
Deerfield in September of the same year. ; he was married
about that time to Mary E. Parsons, of (iilmanton. He re-
mained at Deerfield until 1849, when he accepted a call to
become the pastor of the Congregational Church at Mil-
ford, and resided in that town for a few years and then
took charge of one of the churches in Derry. In 1859, he
came to Candia and was installed over the Congregational
Society, Nov. 4. The following were the exercises:
HISTORY OF CANDIA. I 93
Introductory prayer, Rev. Mr. Conduit, of Deerrield ;
Sermon, Rev. Charles Tenney, Chester ;
Charge to the pastor, Rev. William S. Herrick ;
Right hand of fellowship, Rev. C. W. Wallace, Man-
chester ;
Address to the people, Rev. U. W. Conduit ;
Concluding prayer, Rev. H. 0. Howland, of Chester.
Immediately after the installing exercises were concluded
Rev. James Fitts, a native of Candia, was ordained as a
gospel minister.
In 1864, Rev. Mr. Hidden was dismissed and soon after-
wards he became the pastor of a church at Great Falls and
resided there until 1870, when he went to Middlebury,
Mass. , and took charge of a church there for two or three
years, when he removed to East Medway and supplied the
pulpit of a church at that place for some time. He
died very suddenly of heart disease. He left a widow and
two daughters.
Rev. Lauren Amsby was acting pastor of the society
from i860 to July 1870. He was born at Northbridge,
Mass., January 16, 1817. He was graduated at Amherst
College in 1842, and studied theology at Union Theological
Seminary and also at Andover. He Was graduated at the
latter place in 1845. 1° ^46, he was ordained pastor of
the Congregational Church in Chester, and held the posi-
tion until 1856, when he was dismissed. During the war
of the rebellion he was a chaplain in the army for some
time. After the war he came to Candia and was acting
pastor of the Congregational Church for several years, end-
ing in 1870. when he went west to reside, and was for
some time acting pastor of a church in Faribault, Mich.
Rev. George Edwards Lovejoy was the ninth minister who
was installed pastor of the church and society. He was
b >rn in Bradford, Mass., June 30, 1843. ^ the age often
years he was a pupil at the Pavilion School at Hartford,
Conn. Subsequently he studied at Mount Pleasant Insti-
tute at Amherst, Mass., and also at a similar institution at
Fall River, Mass. In August. 1862, he enlisted as a
private in the 2 2d Massachusetts Regiment and was
13
194 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
present at the battles of Antietam, Shepardstown, Ford
Chancellorsville, Rappahanock Station and Petersburg.
He re-enlisted in 1864, and was transferred to the 3 2d regi-
ment of Massachusetts Volunteers and remained in that
regiment until the close of the war. Soon after his return
home he was located in Lowell, Mass., and became the
Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association of
that place. After serving in that position three years he
became a student of theology at Andover, Mass. During
the last year of his student life at Andover, he regularly
supplied the pulpit of the church in Candia. In June, 1873,
he was ordained pastor of the church and society. Rev. J.
H. Taylor, of Andover, Mass., was Moderator of the Coun-
cil, and Rev. G. F. French, a native of Candia, was Scribe.
The following was the order of exercises at the or-
dination:
Introductory prayer, Rev. Joshua G. Gay, Auburn ;
Sermon, Rev. William J. Tucker, Manchester ;
Ordain ing prayer, Rev. J. H. Taylor, Andover, Mass. ;
Charge to the pastor, Rev. J. McCollom, Medford,
Mass. ;
Right hand of fellowship, Rev. J. H. Stearns, of Ep-
ping;
Address to the people, Rev. Charles Tenney, Chester.
Rev. Mr. Lovejoy was very popular with the young peo-
ple of the town and by his influence many were converted.
William Churchill Reade, son of William F. M. and Em"
meline (Jayne) Reade, was born November 1, 1835, at
Hampden. Maine. He prepared for college at Phillips
Academy, Andover, Mass., with the class of 1859. En-
tered Yale College and graduated with the class of 1863.
He spent the next year at Princeton Theological Seminary,
servino- meanwhile a few months in the "Christian Com-
mission" with the army in Virginia. The two subsequent
years he studied at Andover Theological Seminary, where
he was graduated, and licensed to preach, in 1866. The
greater part of the next two years he spent in Connecticut
supplying the Congregational Church at Westbrook. Feb-
ruary 10, 1870, he was ordained and installed pastor of the
Congregational Church, South Dennis, Mass., remaining
HISTORY OF CANDIA, iqS
there five years. In 1876, he was called to be pastor of
the Congregational Church in Milton, Mass., where he
preached during the next two years, but declined to be in-
stalled. On November 3, 1878, he preached his first ser
mon in Candia, and remained here till the autumn of 1883,
when he removed to Beverly, Mass., where he has since
resided, having, within a few years, purchased and rebuilt
a modest estate there, called "Apple Tree Lodge." He
was married October 24, 1867, to Octavia, daughter of Dr-
Byron and Eliza (Morse) Porter, of Waterville, Maine. They
have no children.
Rev. Albert B. Peabody, a son of Samuel and Mary
(Bradstreet) Peabody, was born in Boxford, Mass., Novem-
ber 1, 1828. His early years were spent upon a farm
which was bought of the Indians by his ancestors. He
was a student at Pembroke Academy and at Phillip's
Academy at Andover, Mass. He taught schools in Bow
and Raymond, and also in West Newbury and Boxford,
Mass., and in Tarrytown, N. Y.
In accordance with the wishes of his mother, he studied
for the ministry in connection with the academy at Tops-
field, Mass., and at Andover Theological Seminary, and
graduated at the latter school in 1859. He was ordained
pastor of the Congregational Church at East Longmeadows,
Mass., and remained there seven years. He then was the
acting pastor of the Congregational Church at Seabrook
and Hampton Falls. He retained that position several
years. In 1861, he was installed pastor of the Congrega-
tional Church in Stratham, and remained there fourteen
years. He came to Candia in the autumn of 1883, and
was acting pastor of the Congregational Church six years.
He is now a resident of Boxfoid, Mass., his native town.
Mr. Peabody was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Pingrey,
of Newburyport, Mass., in 1861. They have a family of
five children. The second daughter is the wife of Frank E.
Page, of this town.
In 1878, Mr. Peabody made a trip to Europe, and visited
England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria
and Italy.
I96 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
THE PURCHASE OF THE FIRST BELL, REPAIRS, ETC.
When the steeple and spire of the old meetinghouse were
erected, a convenient porch and stairway were attached to
the east end of the building-, the outside was painted with
white lead, and the structure, which was of fine architectu-
ral proportions, made a very imposing appearance.
In 1802, the town voted to appropriate the sum of one
hundred and twenty'five dollars towards the purchase of a
bell, on condition that enough more money was raised by
subscription to insure the success of the undertaking. The
people subscribed liberally, and the bell was purchased.
Among those who paid their proportion of the tax were the
Murrays and the Bricketts, who belonged to the society,
though they lived in Auburn, a few rods south of Candia
line.
The bell was cast at the foundry of Revere & Co., of
Boston, and weigheda little less than one thousand pounds.
The frame for its support in the belfry and the large wheel
for operating it, were made by John Lane, senior. The
bell was ot most excellent tone and could be distinctly heard
in every part of the town under ordinary circumstances.
For nearly forty years it was rung at 7 o'clock A. M. in
the summer, and at 8 A. M. in the winter, at noon and at 9
P. M.. except Saturday evenings, when it was rung at 8
P. M. On Sundays it was rung a short time before the
commencement of the services at the church. The bell
was rung by "setting" it, that is, by turning it bottom side
up on the frame and holding it in that position half a min-
ute of so when the operation was repeated. After it had
been rung in that manner rive minutes, it Was tolled by
swinging it gently from one side to the other so that the
tongue would strike upon one side only. This process was
continued until the minister had arrived at the church. It
required a good deal of skill to set the bell p operly or to
tu in it completely over and to bring it back again to its
place, and many ambitious young men utterly failed to ac
eomplish those feats when the sexton allowed them to try
the experiment.
When the bell was tolled at funerals 'the sexton generally
HISTORY OF €AND1A. 1 97
climbed up the long dark stairway to the belfry and seiz-
ing the lower end of the tongue he struck it smartly against
the inside of the rim at intervals of about one minute. The
deep reverberations of the sounds from the bell when heard
in the belfry were loud and deafening.
Some of the boys, who ventured to climb seventy feet to
the old belfry, were more amazed and awed on realizing
the lofty height they had reached and the grandeur of the
scene before them than they were when, in after years, they
stood in the cupola of St. Peter's Church at Rome, or on the
top of the great Effel Tower at Paris, which is one
thousand feet above the pavement.
The privilege of ringing the bell and taking care of the
church, was sold at auction to the lowest bidder at the town
meeting, by one of the selectmen. The annual salary
ranged from about twenty dollars to forty dollars, and there
was usually a sharp competition for the place, as even the
sum of twenty dollars was well worth looking after in those
days. Reuben Fitts, Nathan Fitts, Joseph Carr, Nathan
Carr, Ichabod Carr, Joseph Fitts, Nathan B. Hale and
Dudley Lang were some of the men who rang the bell and
took care of the old meeting house.
In 1829, extensive repairs were made upon the old church.
All the old sashes and glass were taken out and new sashes
and larger panes of glass were put in their place. A tier of
pews in the body of the house next to the pulpit were
erected to take the place of the old men's and old women's
seats. The outside of the steeple was repaired and
strengthened. The brass weathercock was taken down
and re-gilded in a workmanlike manner by Daniel Fitts, jr.,
the schoolmaster.
WARMING THE MEETING HOUSE.
Previous to about the year 1820, no arrangements what-
ever were made for heating the old meeting house, and for
fifty years, men, women and children sat in the great
building through two long services on the cold days of the
winter, when the mercury in the thermometer was frequent-
ly several degrees below z3r.>. In those day.-, hot air fir-
198 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
naces and steam-heating apparatus to raise the tempera*
ture in churches to eighty or ninety degrees were unknown.
It seems incredible that our ancestors could have lived
through such hardships, especially when it is considered
that neither men or women dressed anywhere near as
comfortably as do the people of modern times, particularly
in the matter of underclothing. Such an article as good
thick flannel drawers was rarely thought of by the men of
those times.
There was some mitigation, however, of the suffering at
church referred to, in the case of some of the elderly wo-
men, who provided themselves with small foot stoves,
somewhat less than a foot square. The sides and tops of
these stoves were constructed of tin, the top being perfor-
ated with numerous small holes for the escape of the heat
from a pan of burning coals, which was placed inside.
By this arrangement, the feet could be kept comfortably
warm for an hour or more, when it became necessary to
procure another supply of live coals. For many years,
Mrs. Carr and others, who resided near the church, were
expected to open their doors during the intermission at
noon, and furnish scores of women, who lived in other sec-
tions of the town, with the means of keeping their feet from
freezing. Sometimes the duty of procuring the coals was
entrusted to the boys.
About th^ year 1821, a large cast iron stove, which was
manufactured in Philadelphia and purchased by subscrip-
tion, was set up in the middle of the broad aisle. It was a
two-story affair, and was ornamented with small brass
eagles with distended wings at each corner, and one of
larger dimensions in the center of the top. A great pile of
wood was required to heat the building to any degree of
comfort upon a cold day in winter.
About the same time, a chandelier, madte of stout
iron wire in the form of a cone, was hung from the center
of the ceiling at a point about half-way from the pulpit and
the stove by a common one-inch rope, the upper end of
which was attached to a block of wood thrown over a
beam. The block was just heavy enough to balance the
chandelier, so that it could be readily moved upward or
OLD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BURNED IN 1838.
HISTROY OF CANDIA. I 99
downward as might be desired. There were four circles or
tiers of tin sockets, one above the other, for the insertion of
common tallow candles. When the chandelier was lighted
for evening meetings, it was thought to be a marvel
of beauty by the unsophisticated people of the times.
THE BURNING OF THE OLD MEETING HOUSE.
The old church was burned Jan. 25, 1838.
The following are extracts from a graphic description of
the destruction of the old building as given by Mr. Francis
B. Eaton in his history of Candia, published in 1852:
"Awakened by some noise, I saw on my ;hamber wall an
uncertain and glimmering light, as of one passing with a
lantern. While gazing upon it, the cry of "fire!"' so start-
ling to unaccustomed ears, was heard. The light on the
wall grew brighter, as with beating heart I sprung to the
floor and threw open the window. A column of smoke was
pouring from the church, not a stone's throw distant. A
neighbor on his steps was dressing by the light of the fire ;
every line of his countenance was visible as he poured
forth from stentorian lungs shout after shout. Some people
were already astir. Contributing a small shout to the in-
creasing noise, I dressed, rushed out of doors and down to
the walk to the rear of the meeting house. The flames
were bursting from the eastern porch. The rosy red of the
morning was just coming up in the cold, grey sky, when
the bell began to sound the last alarm. In twenty minutes
the whole town was in motion. Men, women and children,
as four-score years before their fathers came to its building,
came now in haste to its downfall. Household goods, that
for many years had reposed in unmolested quiet, were
dragged from endangered dwellings and piled in roads and
fields. Wet blankets were hung on the roofs of bu:ldingsj
and pails of water were spilled over all the floors. Fortu-
nately, the air was still, and the ascending flames wreathed
to the very steeple's top, presented a scene of great sublim-
ity. There stood the huge frame of a church of molten,
glittering gold, against the sky. I looked in at the front
door — above, around and below, all was fire, leaping and
200 HISTORY OF CANT) I A.
darting in forked tongues on the dry and combustible ma-
terials. The sacred book, from which many a message
had been delivered to erring man by lips now cold in
death, lay upon the cushioned desk waiting its fate, while
the flames, like demons, were creeping stealthily up and
around to destroy it. Hundreds of illumined faces were
turned towards the burning steeple, while groups of men
with pails and tubs of water retired to a safe distance
towards the nearest dwellings. The blazing shaft, for a
moment wavering, fell inward."
The building was almost totally consumed. Among the
relics saved was the upper sash of the window behind the
pulpit. The top of the sash was in the form of a half circle-
This relic was secured by Gov. Frederick Smyth and placed
the next year in the north end of his father's stable in Halls-
ville, in Manchester. The Governor has it in his posses-
sion. The long, stout, iron rod, which supported the
weathercock, was secured as a trophy, and may still be
seen in town.
It appears that there was a meeting at the church on the
afternoon before the fire, and that Mr. Nath'l B. Hall, the
sexton of the meeting house, took some ashes from the
stove in a wooden box and placed it in the east porch. It
is supposed that the ashes contained some hot coals, and
that fire was communicated to the box and from that to
the building.
THE NEW MEETING HOUSE.
Before the people left, who gathered at the destruc-
tion of the old meeting house, notice was given that the
members of the society would meet at Peter Eaton's Hall
on the evening of the same day to take measures for erect-
ing a new house of worship. The meeting was held at
the appointed time, and arrangements were made to com-
mence the work at once. The following are the names of
the building committee which was appointed :
Peter Eaton, Coffin M. French, John Rowe, Joshua Lane,
Capt. Abraham Fitts, True French, Freeman Parker, Henry
M. Eaton.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 201
The owners of the dwelling houses which were situated
near the old church, objected to placing the new edifice on
the same site on account of danger to their property in case
it should be consumed by fire. It was, therefore, deemed
best to locate the new church at a point remote from other
buildings.
The foundation and the frame of the building were con-
structed by the society by subscription, and many of the
citizens paid their subscriptions in labor. After the frame
was raised, the building committee made a contract with a
master builder of Concord to finish the building through-
out. There were seventy-seven pews in the church, ten of
which were placed in the west end of the building, five on
one side of the DulDit and five on the other. The number-
ing of the pews began with the pew on the west end next to
the pulpit. Then the pews bordering on the north wall of
the building: were counted from west to ea'st. Next, the
body pews on the north side of the church counting from
east to west, then the body pews on the south side from
west to east. Then the wall pews on the south side count-
ing from east to west, and last of all, the pews on the west
end of the building south of the pulpit.
THE OLD GRANARY.
After the old meeting house was burned, the members of
the society worshipped on the Sabbath at William Duncan's
spacious granary, a building which was situated near his
dwelling house and store on the South Road at the i lace
now owned by Mr. Brown. Plank seats were con-
structed, and the building was made quite comfortable and
accommodated quite a large congregation. About the
year 1850, the old building was removed to a spot on the
mill stream near the railroad station and converted into a
saw mill.
THE DEDICATION.
Early in November, 1838. the new meeting house was
completed, painted, upholstered and made ready for oc-
202 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
cupancy. A new bell was purchased and partly paid for
with the metal of the old bell, which was mostly gathered
up and saved after the tire.
The dedication took place about the middle of Novem-
ber. A large congregation, among which were many people
from the neighboring towns, was present. Rev. Mr. Rus-
sel, the pastor of the church, preached an interesting ser-
mon upon the subject of public worship. Rev. Abraham
Burnham, of Pembroke, Rev. Nathaniel Wells, of Deerfield,
and Rev. Jonathan Clement, of Chester, took part in the re-
ligious exercises of the occasion. The choir, which was
led by Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, performed some excellent mu-
sic. The Washington Board of Candia was present, and
assisted in entertaining the congregation.
THE CREED OR ARTICLES OF FAITH.
A history of Candia would be incomplete if it contained
no account of the opinions of the people upon matters per-
taining to religion as accepted and defended by their minis-
ters and embodied in their creeds. It was stated in a pre-
ceding chapter of this work, that the majority of the early
settlers of New Hampshirs were Calvinists and Congrega-
tionalists. It may now be stated that a majority of the
first settlers of Candia inherited their religious beliefs from
their ancestors in England, who were rigid Calvinists, and
these doctrines were stoutly maintained and detended at
every point by the members of the Congregational Church
in the town, almost without exception, for a hundred years.
It may be added, however, that, during all that time, there
was always a small number of people belonging to congre-
gations who were openly opposed to some of the most
prominent doctrines of the Calvinists.
In 1816, the Congregational Church adopted the follow-
ing statement of their religious beliefs, "which was con-
tained in a small pamphlet that was printed at Concord,
with the following title :
Articles of Faith, and Form of Covenant.
Many of the members of the church in Candia furnished
themselves with copies of the work. The following
is a copy of the articles of faith referred to:
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 203
ARTICLES OF FAITH.
i. We believe that there is but one God, the Creator,
Preserver and moral Governor of the universe ; a being of
infinite power, knowledge, wisdom, justice, goodness and
truth ; the self-existent, independent, and immutable Foun-
tain of good.
2. We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New
Testament were given by the inspiration of God ; that they
are profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, and
for instruction in righteousness; and that they are our only
rule of doctrinal belief and religious practice.
3. We believe that the mode of divine existence is such
as lays a foundation for a distinction into three persons,
the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost ; and that these three
are one in essence, and equal in power and glory.
4. We believe that God has made all things for himself '■>
and known unto him are all his works from the beginning;
and that he governs all things according to the counsels of
his own will.
5. We believe that the divine law and the principles and
administration of the divine government are perfectly holy,
just and good ; and that all rational beings are bound to
approve them as such.
6. We believe that God at first created man in his own
image, in a state of rectitude and holiness, and that he fell
from that state bv transgressing the divine law in the article
of forbidden fruit.
7. We believe that in consequence of the apostacy, the
heart of man in his natural state is destitute of all holiness
and in a state of positive disaffection with the law, charac-
ter and government of God, and that all men previous to
regeneration are dead in trespasses and sin.
8. We believe that Christ, the Son of God, has by his
obedience, sufferings and death made atonement for sin;
that He is the only Redeemer of sinners ; and that all who
are saved will be altogether indebted to the grace and mer-
cy of God for their salvation.
9. We believe that, although the invitation of the Gospel
is such that whosoever will may come and partake of the
t
204 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
water of life freely; yet the depravity of the human heart is
such that no man will come to Christ, except the Father by the
special and efficacious influence of the Spirit draw him.
10. We believe that those who embrace the Gospel were
chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that
they should be holy and without blame before him in love;
and that they are saved, not by works of righteousness
which they have done, but according to the distinguishing
mercy of God through the sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth.
1 1. We believe that those who cordially embrace Christ,
although they may be left to fall into sin, never will be left
finally to fall away and perish; but will be kept by the
mighty power of God through faith into Salvation.
12. We believe that there will be a general resurrection
of the bodies, both the just and unjust.
13. We believe that all mankind must one day stand
before the judgment seat of Christ to receive a just and fi-
nal sentence of retribution according to the deeds done in
the body ; and at the day of judgment the state of all will
be unalterably fixed, and that the punishment of the wick-
ed and the happiness of the righteous will be endless.
14. We believe that Christ has a visible church in the
world into which none in the sight of God but real believ-
ers, and none in the sight of men but visible believers have
right of admission.
1 5. We believe that the sacraments of the New Testament
are the Lord's Supper; that visible believers in regular church
standing only can consistently partake of the Lord's Supper,
and that visible believers and their households only, can be
admitted to the ordinances of baptism.
16. We believe it to be the duty of every one who is the
head of a family to maintain daily family prayer.
The doctrines contained in the above articles of faith
were preached in all their length and breadth in Candia,
and also by nearly all the ministers of the orthodox or
evangelical churches in New England until within a few
years, especially the'doctrines of the fall of man from a
perfectly holy state to that of total depravity by partaking
of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, and that all of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 205
his posterity throughout the whole earth for hundreds of
generations have been fully involved in his guilt ; the doc_
trine that God from all eternity chose, or elected, some to
be saved by a special act of his grace, while others are left
to perish ; the doctrine that God from the first fore-knew
and fore-ordained all things whatsoever which come to
pass ; the doctrines of the resurrection of the material body,
and that at the last great day of judgment the wicked will be
eternally punished in a hell of material fire, while those
who had been elected to be saved will enter upon the enjoy-
ments prepared for them from the foundation of the world.
Until within about seventy years the most of the Congrega"
tionalists of the country believed that,
"In Adam's fall
We sinned all."
as stated in the old New England Primer, and that children
who died ini nfancy were lost, though it was vaguely believed
or hoped, by some, that the children of believers, who had
been consecrated to God in baptism, would be saved, while
the children of unbelievers would be lost. The views con-
cerning the condition of infants after death, which formerly
prevailed, have greatly changed, and now it is almost uni-
versally believed that all infants will be saved.
For the purpose of affording some idea of the religious
views which were entertained by the majority of the people
of New England a hundred years ago as well as at a much
later date, the following extracts from a sermon upon the
future punishment of the wicked, which was preached by
the celebrated Jonathan Edwards, may be quoted. . Ad-
dressing hij hearers he said :
"I entreat you to consider how awful a thing eternity is
and what it is to suffer extreme torment day and night from
one clay to another, from one year to another, and so on
for tens of thousands of years in pain and wailing and la-
menting, groaning, shrieking and gnashing of teeth, with
your soul's full of dreadful grief and amazement, with your
bodies and every member full of racking torture, with no
possibility of getting relief or of moving God to pity by
your cries. How dreadful it will be when you shall wish
your life could be ended. When you shall have outworn
206 HISTORY OF CAND I A.
the age of the sun, the moon and the stars in your dolorous
groans and lamentations, and when your souls shall have
been agitated by the wrath of God all this while, you will
still continue to exist. Your bodies, which have been
burning and roasting in glowing flames, shall not have
been consumed but will remain to roast to all eternity."
The following are extracts from a sermon of Mr. Ed-
wards entitled, "The End of the Wicked Contemplated by
the Righteous, or the Torments of the Wicked in Hell No
Occasion of Grief to the Saints in Heaven." He said :
"The Scriptures teach us that the saints in heaven will
not only see the misery of the wicked at the day of judg-
ment, but many texts imply that the state of the damned
in hell will be in the full view of the heavenly inhabitants ;
that the two worlds of happiness and misery are in full
view of each other. When the saints in heaven shall see
the damned tormented it will be no occasion of grief to
them. The saints in glory will be far more sensible how
dreadful the wrath of God is and will better understand how
dreadful the sufferings of the damned are, but they will not
be sorry for the damned ; but, on the contrary, it will ex-
cite them to joyful praises. They will rejoice in seeing the
justice of God glorified in the sufferings of the damned, and
it will cause rejoicing in them as they will have the greater
sense of their own happiness by seeing the contrary
misery."
Dr. Isaac Watts, of England, was a somewhat celebrated
poet, and a Calvinist of the strictest sort. A volume of
hymns which he wrote was in use in the Congregational
Church for many years. Among the hymns which were
often sung by the choir was one containing the following
couplet :
"Life is the hour which. God has given,
To 'scape from hell and fly to heaven."
A hymn which was frequently sung contains the. two fol-
lowing stanzas :
"Far in the deep where darkness dwells,
The land of horror and despair,
Justice has built a dismal hell,
And laid her stores of vengeance there.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 207
"Eternal plagues and heavy chains,
Tormenting racks and fiery coals,
And darts t'inrlict immortal pains,
Dipt in the blood of damned souls."
A hymn by an unknown author, which was frequently
sune at revival meetings in Rev. Mr. Wheeler's time be-
gan with the following lines :
"Oh ! there will be mourning, mourning,
At the judgment seat of Christ ;
Parents and children there will part,
Will part to meet no more.'' .
The author of the hymn went on to describe the parting
of husbands and wives, pastors and people, some going to
heaven, while others were consigned to hell.
The people were urged to become converted principally for
the purpose of being prepared for the joys of heaven,
and to escape eternal punishment in hell.
Some of the men and women living to-day, who were
subjects of the great revival under Mr. Wheeler's ministra-
tions in 1822, have since declared that they were governed
at the time mostly by the fear of being doomed to hopeless
misery after death.
While a large majority of the people of the town who at-
tended services at the Congregational Meeting House be-
lieved the doctrines set forth in the creed as here presented,
there was a considerable number who dissented and de-
clared that they were totally unable to comprehend how
a man could be an entirely free, moral agent when God,
from all eternity, had elected him either to be saved or lost.
And they further declared that they could not on any prin-
ciples of honor or right, understand how God the Creator
could consign any of his children to eternal woe, however
wicked they had been. These doubters boldly avowed
their sentiments to the ministers who were in charge of the
church and society. As far back as Mr. Remington's day,
there were a few men of this class. So, too, when Mr.
Wheeler was the pastor of the church, the great debate went
on, and Mr. Wheeler, in his doctrinal sermons, would often
refer to the objections which were made to him in friendly
208 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
conversation, and endeavor to answer them according to the
best of his abilities. Between the years 1810 and 1820 the
discussion on some points became extremely animated.
It may be stated that all the ministers who have been set-
tled over the Congregational Church and society, in addition
to their hearty efforts in support of the doctrines set forth in
the creed, have earnestly supported the principles of justice
among men, kindness, benevolence, peace, patience, for-
giveness, temperance, and all other moral doctrines upor.
which all s:ood citizens of whatever creed or race have been
agreed; and their influence upon the people of the town ir
this respect has always been of the highest value.
During the autumn of 1843, a very amiable and upright
young man nineteen years of age, died of typhoid fever at
the residence of his parents in the south part of the town.
He was a constant attendant of the services at the Congrega-
tional Church, but he had never given any evidence that he
had met with a change of heart. His funeral was attended
by Rev. Mr. Murdock on a Sunday afternoon. At the ser-
vices in the church in the forenoon of that day, Mr. Murdock
made the death of the young man the theme of his discourse.
He did not mention his name; but spoke of the very recent
death of a well-known young man, who had in all probabil-
ity left the world in an unregenerated state, and, in conse-
quence, was lost forever. In a most solemn manner, he
urged all the people present to take the sad event into serious
consideration and seek the salvation of their souls before it
was too late.
Everybody present knew whom Mr. Murdock referred to,
and many of the most prominent members of the church
expressed the belief that his remarks on the occasion were
imprudent.
In April, 1844, Rev. Mr. Murdock exchanged with Rev.
C. W. Wallace, of Manchester. At the third service, Mr.
Wallace, in the course of an off-hand address, spoke of the
importance of being regenerated in early life, so as to be
prepared for death at all times and under all circumstances.
In a most eloquent manner, he spoke of the dreadful conse-
quences which follow by neglecting to seek the salvation of
the soul by repentance and faith in the Saviour. In this
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2O0.
•connection he referred to the case of a very estimable and
upright young woman, who was a very constant attendant
upon his ministrations at Manchester. He said that he
had often personally implored her to give her heart to God,
but she put off the matter from time to time until at last
she was stricken down with a raging fever. Mr. Wallace
said he was called up at midnight to visit the young wo-
man, who lived four miles distant from his residence. He
found her in a state of great mental torture. She had neg-
lected the concerns of her soul, and was unprepared to die.
The speaker said he prayed with her and tried to con-
sole her by urging her to surrender herself unreservedly to
the Saviour ; but she said it was too late. Mr. Wallace
said the young woman died in utter despair, and he left the
audience to infer that as she evidently died without having
experienced the great change which was necessary to sal-
vation, she was hopelessly lost.
REVIVALS.
Ever since religious institutions were first established in
the town, there have been seasons when the people felt and
manifested a much deeper interest than usual upon the sub-
ject of the salvation of their souls.
In 1822, during Rev. Mr. Wheeler's ministry, a somewhat
remarkable revival took place. It commenced in the family
of Mr. Joseph Carr, who resided just north of the present Con-
gregational Church. It appears that while Nathan Carr. a son
of Joseph, and a neighbor were singing the hymn com-
mencing with the line:
"Life is the time to serve the Lord,"
the said Joseph Carr, who had never previously mani-
fested any particular interest in religous matters, arose and
offered a most fervent prayer. This strange act on the part of
Mr. Carr caused much astonishment in the minds of the mem-
bers of the family and neighbors. The news spread through
the town, and a great religious interest was at once awak-
ened. Prayer and conference mestmsr^ were held in
all parts of the town, and one hundred and thirty-six persons
14 »
2IO HISTORY OF CANDIA.
experienced religion, and soon after joined the church.
About the year 1828, protracted or revival meetings,
were held in various portions of the state. The
meetings, which continued for four days, were attended by
crowds of people and sometimes six or eight ministers took
part in the services. Towards the last day of the meetings,
the people were generally awakened to a high pitch of ex-
citement, and many professed to have been converted.
Meetings of this kind took place at the Congregational
Church in Candia in 1830, and also in 1832. At the meeting
of the latter year, about fifty persons believed they were re-
generated.
In 1838, while Rev. Charles P. Russell was pastor, another
important revival took place, and fifty-seven persons were
converted.
In 1849, during the ministry of Rev. Mr. Murdock, there
was another great revival, and about sixty persons pro-
fessed to have been converted.
In the course of the time that Rev. Mr. Lovejoy was
the settled pastor, his labors resulted in the conversion
of a large number of persons, who, shortly after, became
members of the church.
FIRST OWNERS OF PEWS IN THE NEW CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
Names of owners of pews on north side of the pulpit :
1, Nathaniel Rowe, 2, Anthony Langford, 3, Abraham
Fitts, 4, Stephen Smith, 5, Jonathan Currier.
Names of owners of pews in main tiers :
6, Deacon Merrill, 7, Captain Abraham Fitts, 8, John
Rowe, 9, Benjamin Hubbard, 10, Nathan Brown, 11, Elias
Hubbard, 12, William Fifield, 13, Samuel Woodbury, 14,
Samuel Emerson, 15, True French, 16, Nathaniel B. Hall,
17, Asa Robie, 18, Samuel Morrill, 19, John Clay, 20, Jo-
seph Fitts, 21, free, 22, Joshua Fitts, 23, John Lane, 24,
Thomas Morse, 25, Parker Hills, 26, Aaron Rowe, 27,
Ezekiel Lane, 28, Joshua Hubbard, 29, Peter Eaton, 30,
Samuel Murray, 31, Moses Emerson, 32, Joshua Lane, ^$,
Moses Patten, 34, Joseph Carr, 35, Leonard Dearborn, 36,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 211
John Robie, 37, free, 38, free, 39, William Robie, 40, Ca-
leb Brown, 41, Samuel Anderson, 42, Moses Sargent, 43-
Samuel Patten, 44, Jacob Libbee, 45, Coffin M. French, 46,
Henry Eaton, 47, Samuel Patten, 48, Thomas Anderson, 49,
William Murray, 50, Stephen Brown, 51, Moses Rowe,
52, Obededom Hall, 53, free, 54, free, 55, John Dolber,
56, Rodney Brown, 57, Abraham Emerson, 58, William
Patten, 59, Simon French, 60, John Fitts, 61, Andrew
Moore, 62, Samuel Buswell, 63, R. E. Patten, 64. Freeman
Parker, 65, John Wason. 66, Henry M. Eaton, 67, Isaiah
Lane, 68, William Duncan, 69, William Colby.
Names of owners of pews on the south side of the pulpit :
70, Josiah Sargent, 71, Peter Hall, 72, Samuel Cass, 73,
Jacob Buswell, 74, Thomas Hobbs.
IMPROVEMENTS UPON THE NEW MEETING HOUSE AND REUNION.
In 1884, many important improvements and alterations
were made u )on the new Congregational Church.
The old pews were taken out and new ones of the latest
style were introduced. The walls were frescoed in an ar-
tistic manner, and the aisles and pews were carpeted. A
new heating apparatus was also introduced. The total ex-
pense of the improvements was about $1,500. The alter-
ations were completed in a few months, and upon August
20, 1885, a grand reunion of the sons and daughters of
Candia, who had sometime been connected with the socie-
ty, took place. A committee, consisting of twelve ladies
and six gentlemen, took charge of the affair. There was
a very large gathering of the people of the town at the
church at the time appointed, as well as a large number
who came from Manchester, Lowell, Boston, Haverhill,
and other places. An excellent collation was served at the
vestry, after which there were addresses and other exercis-
es in the church. Luther Emerson, of New York, who was
the President of the occasion, welcomed the people in a
felicitous address and was followed by Hon. Albert Palmer, of
Boston, Rev. Moses Patten, of Hooksett, Rev. John D.
Emerson, of Kennebunk, Maine, Francis B. Eaton and
212 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
John G. Lane, of Manchester, Alanson Palmer, of Astoria,
N. Y., Henry W. Rowe, of Boston, and others.
Miss Harriet N. Eaton, formerly of Merrimack, read a
poem.
There was a variety of vocal and instrumental music,
and the occasion was greatly enjoyed by all who Were
present.
THE DEACONS OF THE CHURCH.
Stephen Palmer and John Hill elected in 1771 ; Nathan-
iel Burpee, 1773, Caleb Prince and Samuel Cass, 18 10, Jo-
siah Shannon, 1824, Anthony Langford, 1826, Jacob Bus-
well and Francis Patten, 1836, John L. Fitts, 1848, Alexan-
der Gilchrist and Coffin M. French, 1851, Ezekiel Lane, i860,
Edmund Hill, Daniel Emerson, John P. French, Charles R.
Rowe, are the present deacons.
Deacon Daniel Fitts was for several years the clerk of
the society. Edmund Hill, the present clerk, has held that
position many years.
FUNDS BELONG I NG TO THE CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY.
The following is the amount of the funds now in the
possession of the society:
By the sale of the parsonage lot given to the town by the
first proprietors of the town of Candia, $3,689.
By the sale of a tract of land situated in Allenstown,
which was given by the will of Hon. Thomas Thompson,
of Concord, in the early part of the present century, $447.
By the will of Jesse Eaton, $375.
By t'-e will of the late Mrs. Ruth Bickford.in 1887, $300.
By tiie will of Charles Emerson, in 1887, $100.
By the will of Mrs. Mary Patten, formerly Mary Ander
son, in 1889, $300.
By a gift by will by Charles S. Bickford, in 1890, $780.
By the* will of John Brown, in 1890, $6,000.
The conditions of this will require that the society shall
keep the grounds in the old cemetery near the Congrega.
tional Meeting House where his body lies, in good order
at all times. Also that the lot in the cemetery in the Lang-
HISTORY OF CANDIA, 2 I 3
ford District, where the remains of his parents are buried,
shall be kept in good order. In case of a failure to comply
with these conditions, the property conveyed to the society
shall go into the possession of the town.
By the will of the late Sophia Pillsbury, a daughter of
Abijah Pillsbury, the interest of $1,000 was given to Anna
Colby, now Mrs. Amos Southwick, of Qhester, during her
lifetime, after which the principal was to be given over to
the Congregational Society.
SALE OF THE PARSONAGE LOT.
The original proprietors of the lands in Candia set apart
lot No. 90 for a parsonage. The parsonage buildings hav-
ing become unfit for use, the town, in 181 5, voted to sell the
property at auction on December 4th of that year. The
land was divided into five parcels, viz. : One parcel situat-
ed on the southeast corner of the lot, one on the southwest
corner, one on the northwest corner, one on the northeast
corner, and a small parcel with the buildings situated in
the middle of the north side of the lot. The sale was made
under the direction of a committee, consisting of John Lane,
Jonathan Pillsbury, John Clay, Samuel Anderson and Na-
than Bean. Jonathan Pillsbury bought the southeast par-
cel, Thomas Patten the southwest parcel, Daniel Fitts the
northwest parcel, Moses Fitts the northeast parcel, and
Daniel Fitts and William Duncan bought the middle parcel
and the parsonage buildings.
The entire property was sold for $4,289, which, added
to the sum of $100, which Rev. Mr. Remington paid for an
acre of land at the extreme corner of the northwest corner
of the lot, amounted to $4,389.
It was thought at the time, that the property was sold at
a very extravagant price. The money, which was placed
at interest by the town, was devoted to the support of the
gospel, under the direction of the Congregational Church
and society.
Soon after the parsonage was sold, the Union Baptist
Society made a claim upon the town for a share in the pro-
ceeds of the sale, but the majority of the town were op-
posed to the claim, on the ground that the parsonage lot
214 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
was given to the town long before there was any other de-
nomination of Christians in the locality besides the Congre-
gationalists. In reply to the demand of the Baptists for a
part of the parsonage, it was stated that "The Con-
gregational society, for nearly half a century, had appro-
priated the income of the parsonage lot for the support of
their teachers and instructors, agreeably to the intent and
design of the original proprietors of the town lands, and it
was obvious that it could not have been the design or in-
tent of the aforesaid proprietors that any denomination,
which then did not exist, and especially one whose relig-
ious tenets manifestly impel them to disclaim all annuities
and salaries to their religious teachers, should receive the
benefit of the grant. "
At a meeting of the Union Baptist Society, held June 7,
1817, it was voted to petition the town of Candia for their
proportion of the interest of the parsonage fund, providing
it cannot otherwise be obtained.
A suit was subsequently brought against the town, b'lit
the decision was in i< s favor.
In 1 83 1, the whole matter was settled by a meeting of
the citizens of the town. It was voted that the parsonage
fund should be divided as followj :
The sum of $3,589 and the old meeting house, was given
to the Congregational society, and the sum of $800 was
given to the Union Baptist society.
The Baptist society accepted the amount of the parson ■
age fund awarded to them by the town, and all contention
on the subject was ended.
THE NEW PARSONAGE.
In 1 84 + , the society purchased a lot situated on the north
side of the highway directly opposite the old parsonage,
and adjoining the residence of the late Nathaniel B. Hall,
and erected a commodious parsonage. All the settled and
acting pastors of the society during the past forty-eight
years, have occupied this parsonage.
FREE BAPTIST CHURCH.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE FREE-WILL BAPTIST AND OTHER SOCIETIES.
For more than.twenty years after the town of Candia
was incorporated, no great opposition to the leading- doc-
trines of the Congregatienal Church was manifested by the
people. About the year 1782, a few persons in the church
became opposed to baptism by sprinkling, and also to in-
fant baptism, but believed that immersion was the only
scriptural method of administering the ordinance, other-
wise they were Calvinists. Among these people were
Joseph Palmer, who lived on the place recently owned by
the late Nathaniel B. Hall, near the Congregational Church,
and Peter Mooers, who then resided in a house which stood
on the road which extends from the Corner to Deerfield and
a few rods north of the present residence of Ingalls
Bunker. Mr. Palmer became a pronounced Baptist, and
meetings frequently took place at his residence. Among
other Baptists, •who preached there, was Rev. Elias Smith,
who afterwards became somewhat celebrated as a minister
in Boston. Mr. Mooers was afterwards ordained as a Free-
Will Baptist minister, and foi some years preached in vari-
ous places in New Hampshire. About the beginning of the
present century, he removed to Maine, and for many years
he officiated as a minister in that state. His family was
settled in the town of Vienna, and he died at that place in
1 83 5, at about eighty-four years of age.
About the year 1777, Benjamin Randall preached at New
Castle and New Durham, and founded a church at the lat-
ter place. Mr. Rands.ll and his followers rejected the doc-
trine of election and fore-ordination, and insisted that men
are free moral agents. They moreover believed that the
ordinance of baptism should be by immersion, and they
were opposed to the practice of baptizing infants. Upon all
other doctrines they agreed with the Congregationalists.
On acfcount of their sentiments as regards free moral agency,
215
2 I 6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and baptism they were then called Free-Will Baptist?*
The interest in the new doctrine spread rapidly until in
1799. Jeremiah Bullard, of Unity, held meetings in that
part of Deerfield situated near the Pawtuckaway mountains'
A considerable number of the people of Nottingham, Ray-
mond and Candia, were attracted to the meetings, and in
1802, a chur;h. consisting of members belonging to the
four towns named, was organized. The earliest members
of the new church from Candia, were Abraham Bean and
wife, who lived at the Island, Reuben Bean and wife, the par-
ents of Moses Bean, Samuel Colcord and a few others.
Moses Bean was ordained at Deerfield in 18 10.
In 1 8 18, the church was divided, those members living
in Nottingham and Deerfield constituting the first church,
and those living in Candia and Raymond the second
church. When the division was effected, it was stipulated
that [own lines should not be considered, but the brothers
and sisters residing in either of the towns could have per-
fect liberty to join whichever church they preferred. Jere-
miah Fullonton, of Raymond, was chosen clerk, of the new
church and society.
After the division was made and the new church was or-
ganized, various exhortations were made, after which all
parted in peace.
Meetings of the church were frequently held at the resi-
dences of some of the brethren in Candia and Raymond.
At a meeting held at the home of Abraham Bean, at the
Island, August 10, 1820, Elder Moses Bean and Elder David
Harriman were appointed "messengers'' or delegates to
the quarterly meeting at Gilmanton, and it was voted to
invite the members of the association to hold their next
meeting in Candia. After various religious exercises, Elder
Bean baptized five persons, and more than one hundred
spoke in meeting.
In 181 5, a meeting house was erected at the village main-
ly through the influence and energy of Elder Bean. The
house was not large but rather long in its proportions.
There were two doors on the front side, one of which was
near the east end and the other near the west end. Some
of the pews were square with seats on the four sides, but
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2 1J
the most of them were seats like those in use at the present
time. They were made of white pine, but were unpainted.
The one chimney of the house sprang from the ground
floor. Directly beneath the chimney and nearly in the cen-
ter of the house, there was a tall, sheet-iron stove.
THE UNION BAPTIST SOCIETY.
Upon August 17, 18 1 6, the Free-Will Baptists in Gandia,
with a considerable number of the members of the Congre-
gational society, who disagreed with the majority upon
some of the fundamental points of theology, formed
an organization which was called The Union Baptist Socie-
ty. John C. Fifield w. s chosen moderator of the meeting,
and Thomas Critchett was clerk. The society was incor-
porated the same year. The largest number of members
resided in Candia village, the Colcord district, the
Island, and at the North Road. A few lived near the Corner,
and a few in the Langford district.
Among the prominent members who resided in the Vil-
lage about sixty years ago, were Moses Bean, Samuel
Dudley, William Turner, Phinehas Bean, Thomas Critchett,
Stephen M. Bean, David Bean, Jacob S. Morrill, David
Richardson, Isaac Critchett, Jesse Bean, E. B. Cheney.
Among those who lived on the Colcord road were Benja-
min Bean, Samuel Colcord, S. O. Dearborn, Reuben Bean,
Hosea Chase, Moses Dearborn, Samuel Dearborn, John
Moore, Henry Thresher.
The prominent members who resided at the North Road,
were Benjamin Hall, Noah Haines, Samuel Tuck, J. Chase
Smith, James Smith, Biley Smith, Richard Hoit, Joseph
Martin, Jonathan Martin, Amos Thorn, Richard Currier,
Moses Hall, Caleb Hall and Jonathan Hall.
Some of the prominent members who resided near the
Corner, were John Smith, Benjamin Pillsbury, Owen Rey-
nolds, John Pillsbury, John Sargent,. Benjamin Pillsbury and
Benjamin P. Colby.
The following are the names of some of the leading
members who resided in other sections of the town :
John C. Fifield, Sumner Fifield, Peter Fifield, Jonathan C.
2l8 HISTROY OF CANDIA.
French, Joseph Palmer, John Worthen, David Lang, Abel
Reed and Abel Lovejoy. Josiah Fitts and Stephen Gale,
who lived in the Lang-ford district, were prominent mem-
bers. Abraham Bean, sr. , Abraham Bean, jr., Joseph
Bean, David Bean and Gordon Bean, who lived at the Island,
were active members.
Stephen Colcord and John Prescott, who lived in the
northeast part of the town, were also active members.
Among the earliest preachers who officiated for the so-
ciety, were Elder David Harriman, Elder H. D. Buswell,
Elder Kimball, Elder Knowles and Elder Jesse Maeder.
In January, 1830, the famous Lorenzo Dow came to Can-
dia and preached twice in the Free-Will Baptist Church.
His first sermon was preached on a Wednesday evening to
a good-sized audience. On the following Sunday, he
preached in the forenoon and afternoon. A very large
crowd of people was present. Elder Knowles went into
the pulpit with him. Dow had a full black beard, which
extended more than a foot over his breast. All the men in
Candia were closely shaven at the time, and there was
scarcely a person in town who had ever before seen a man
with a full beard, and Dow was a great curiosity, in at least
one respect. He was rather a tall man, and wore a some-
what melancholy countenance. He had a good voice,
and when he was fully awakened to his subject he fixed
his eyes upon some man in the audience, and pointing his
finger towards him he seemed to address him personally.
In the course of the Sunday sermon, he stated some facts
in regard to his personal history and travels. It is remem-
bered that he said he was born in Coventry, Conn., and
that he visited England and Scotland, and had preached
in many parts of the United States. The day was quite
warm and pleasant for winter, a and when he came out of
the church at the close of the service, he was surrounded
by a crowd of men and women belonging to the society,
who shook him heartily by the hand and sang a farewell
Free-Will hymn, the last words of the chorus being,
"Farewell, my loving friends, farewell. "
The next day, Elder Knowles conducted him to Weare.
The Free-Will Baptists, for a few years after they estab-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2 10.
lished a church in the town, professed to believe that it was
wrong for a christian minister to receive a stipulated sala-
ry for his work to bring sinners to repentance and save
them from perdition. They said that salvation should be
free, and a great deal was said about a hireling priesthood,
and the first ministers of the denomination who preached
in town were accordingly very poorly remunerated for
their services, as they received scarcely more than was
necessary to pay their expenses. Elder Bean, the first pas-
tor, received but a very small amount from his society and
depended mainly upon his business as a tanner and shoe
manufacturer for the support of himself and family.
The funds to pay expenses were raised at first by sub-
scription, and then by tax upon the members.
As the circumstances of the members became improved
and the society became enlarged, it became the fashion to
pay the ministers a regular yearly salary for their services.
The salary was at first about one hundred and fifty dollars.
This was increased from time to time, until thsy were paid
wo hundred dollars, then three hundred, and then four hun~
dred and upwards.
In 1845, measures were taken to erect a new meeting
house. The owners of the pews in the old meeting house
sold them for the amount at which they were appraised by
a committee, which consisted of John Lane, Henry M.
Eaton and Alexander Gilchrist.
At a meeting of the society held November 24, 1845, a
building committee was chosen. The following are the
names of the committee : -
Joseph Bean, David B. Lang, Carr B. Haynes, Richard
Currier, Daniel Richardson.
The meeting house was erected in 1846, at a cost of
about sixteen hundred dollars.
In 1877, important improvements were made upon the
meeting house. The tower was made higher and
greatly improved in appearance. A clock, which was
presented by Joseph P. Dudley, of Buffalo, N. Y., and a
bell weighing 1,200 pounds, which was the gift of Deacon
Gordon Bean, were placed in the tower. The clock an d
the bell cost three hundred dollars each.
2 20 HISTORY OF CAND I A.
In 1886, other important improvements were made in the
church. The position of the pews was changed, colored
glass windows were put in and all the pews and aisles
were carpeted. The improvements cost about one thou-
sand dollars.
NAMES OF THE PASTORS OF THE CHURCH.
The following are the names of the ministers, who have
been engaged to take charge of the church and society at
various peiiods :
Moses Bean; from 1818 to 1833, Rev. Jesse Maeder, in
1833, Rev. Samuel P. Fernald, 1841 to 1844, Rev. Samuel
Whitney, 1841 to 1844, Rev. Samuel Robbins, 1844 to 1845,
Rev. MarkAtwood, 1846, Rev. R. R. Davis, 1847, Rev. Ar-
thur Caverno, 1848 to 1849, ^ev- Mark Atwood, 1849 to
1851, Rev. Seth Perkins, 1852 to 1855, Rev. Eli B. Fernald,
1855 to 1 859, Rev. A. R. Bradbury, 1859 to 1861, Rev. C.
O. Libby, 1861 to 1866, Rev. William H. Yeomans, 1866 to
1869, Rev. A. Caverno, 1869 to 1871, Rev. John B. Merrill,
1817 to 1873, Rev. Mr. Lothrop, Rev. Mr. Rich, and Rev.
Mr. Foster succeeded Rev. Mr. Merrill. The present pas-
tor. Rev. A. M. Freeman, took charge of the society in 1890.
THE FUNDS OF THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
The sum of $800, which the town voted the society as its
portion of money raised at the sale of the parsonage lot in
1815.
George W. Smith, son of Jesse Smith, at his death left the
society $300.
Sally Hall left $50.
Deacon Gordon Bean, $1,000.
Charles S. Bickford, at his decease, left $1,600.
It is provided that the interest of all these funds shall be
devoted to the support of the gospel ministry under the di-
rection of the society.
SOME FREE-WILL BAPTIST ORATORY.
The most of the Free-Will Baptist ministers for many
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 22 1
years were remarkably earnest and enthusiastic in the
delivery of their sermons and public addresses as com-
pared with the preachers of other denominations. They
spoke in the minor key, the tone of sadness and sorrow,
and in a manner more resembling the singing of a melan-
choly chant or dirge, than ordinary speech. This style,
when adopted by an able and fluent preacher, made a deep
impression upon the tender feelings and sympathies of a
large proportion of their hearers who were very soon in
perfect rapport with him and completely under his control.
As he proceeded, many of the audience became roused to
a high pitch of excitement. Some were in tears and some
were loudly shouting "Amen ! Glory to God!" at the top
of their voices. These shouts and other similar exclama-
tions reacted upon the speaker, and caused him to speak
louder and louder and more rapidly, and then the shouting
became more and more frequent. In some cases the
preacher became choked with emotion or was obliged to
stop from sheer exhaustion.
Under circumstances like these many were converted and
it was believed that all was a result of a special outpouring
of the Spirit.
Elder Bean and Elder Maeder invariably preached in the
in the style here described, which became obsolete thirty
years ago.
BARKING BERRY.
Fifty years ago or more, a Methodist traveling preacher
was in the habit of visiting Candia. He often put up at
Benjamin P. Colby's residence. During his stay, he often
exhorted or preached at Mr. Colby's house and also at
the residence of some of the Free-Will Baptists at the village.
He was afflicted from childhood with a spasmodic affection
of the throat and, as a consequence, when he became excited
in his exhortations or conversation, his voice would be sud-
denly raised to a loud and very high key in a manner much
resembling the bark of a dog. The suddenness of the short,
loud bark would startle his hearers, and cause some to jump
two or three inches from their seats. This was a kind of ora-
222 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tory of a most ludicrous character and many persons who
listened to it could not refrain from laughing.
The following short sentence from one of his exhortations
may give some idea of his peculiarities as a public speaker:
"Brethren: One of the great faults of many christians now-
a-days is the spirit of sectarianism. Glory to God, there
has not been a mite of sectarianism in my soul for TWEN-ty
years."
Upon reaching the word, twenty, his voice suddenly rose a
full octave above its ordinary pitch, and was fully concen-
trated upon the first syllable causing a very sharp and loud
report, when it suddenly fell to the point of common conver-
sation. He died more than thirty-five years ago, at the resi-
dence of a Mr. Merrill in the easterly part of the city of Man-
chester.
THE PARSONAGE.
A few years ago, the Union Baptist Society purchased the
dwelling house on the east side of the highway, which was
many years ag3 owned by Gilman Richardson, and after-
wards by Joseph Dudley, and fitted it up for a parsonage.
It has oeen occupied by several ministers. Rev. Mr.
Freeman is the present occupant.
BAPTISMS.
During the first twenty years after the Free-Will Baptist
Church was established in the town, the new converts, filled
with religious enthusiasm, were deeply impressed with the
conviction that it was their duty to be baptized immediate-
ly, as it was thought that it was dangerous to run the risk
of dying before the ordinance was administrated. In the
summer season there was nothing particularly disagreea-
ble in being plunged in the warm waters; but it was
far otherwise in winter, when the mercury in the
thermometer was ten degrees below zero. Then it required
almost the faith and courage of a martyr to be immersed ;
but the zealous converts were generally equal to the occa-
sion, and came up out of the chilling waters shouting "Glo-
ry, Hallelujah !''
VAVH'srA'Sfy
METHODIST CHURCH.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2 23
Many years ago, a young preacher by the name of Tash,
held meetings in the school house and in dwelling houses
on the North Road. Mehitable Smith, a daughter of J.
Chase Smith and a sister of Jesse Smith, was hopefully
converted under his preaching. Though it was in the
depth of winter, Miss Smith, who was a confirmed invalid,
and was confined to her bed the greater portion of the
time, insisted on being baptized without delay. All the re-
monstrances of her friends were of no avail, and arrange-
ments were made at once. A large hole was cut through
ice, which was more than a foot in thickness, and the new
convert was taken to the spot and baptized by the travel-
ing preacher. When she came out of the water she was
soon covered with a thin coating of ice. She was taken to
her home and properly cared for, and, strange to say, she
suffered no injury, whatever, but, on the contrary, the
shock to her system seemed to cause a reaction, aud she
was soon afterward completely restored to health and lived
to be upwards of eighty-two years of age.
THE METHODIST SOCIETY.
In 1859, a Methodist society was organized in the town.
A large proportion of the members had previously been
connected with the Union Baptist Society. It was charged
1857 and 1858 by these persons that for a considerable length
of time, some of the pastors of the Baptist Church
had been in the habit of introducing political topics into
their sermons, particularly the political aspects of slavery.
The members of the society, who belonged to the
Democratic party, complained that Republican ministers
were in the habit of abusing the opposite party. They de-
clared that such a course was not only unfair, but a viola-
tion of the Sabbath. Finding that their remonstrances
were of no effect, they seceded and organized a new socie-
ty. A meeting was opened in the hall over Henry M.
Eaton's store at the Coiner, which is now occupied by the
Masonic Fraternity. Rev. Elisha Adams, a prominent
clergyman of the Methodist Church, preached many Sun,
days. He was succeeded by other Methodist clergymen,
2 24 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and a Methodist Church was organized. In a few months
this society proceeded to erect a meeting house on the cor-
ner lot opposite the hall.
The society contracted with J. Rowland Batchelder to
put up a building of good proportion on the lot. The base-
ment was fitted for a vestry. Moses Eaton, of Southamp-
ton, presented the society with a fine-toned bell. The
church was completed in 1859.
The following are the names of some of the prominent
members of the society :
Rev. James Adams, Benjamin P. Colby, John Cate, Josiah
M. Fitts, Jeremiah Brown, Abraham Barker, Benjamin Tay-
lor, John C. Dearborn, John Smith, Alfred M. Colby, H. C.
Mathews, Nehemiah Colby, Thomas Lang, Isaiah Lang,
C. R. Norcross. Plumer W. Sanborn, James R. Batchelder,
Daniel Davis.
Rev. Henry Nutter was the first minister who was sta-
tioned here by the New Hampshire Conference. He came
in 1858, and was succeeded by Rev. James Adams, Rev.
N. L. Chase, Rev. Silas Greene, Rev. Mr. Stinchfield, Rev.
Joseph P. Frye, Rev. George C. Noyes, Rev. Mr. Stuart,
Rev. H. H. Hartwell and Rev. Joseph Robinson. Rev.
James Pike also preached at the church a short time,
meetings.
At an early period in the history of the society, there was
a revival, and it is said that quite a large number of people
believed that they were converted.
The society flourished for a time, but at last it became
evident that three religious societies in the town could not
be sustained. The audiences gradually became smaller
and smaller, and meetings at the church were suspended
about the year 1886.
THE UN1VERSAXISTS.
One of the first to promulgate the doctrine of universal
salvation in the United States was Rev, John Murray. He
was succeeded by Balfour, Ballou, Kneeland and others.
These, and othe:- teachers of the denomination, claimed
that the texts of scripture which was relied upon by- the
Congregationalists, Baptists, Catholics and others, to sup-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 225
port the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the wicked
were merely figures of speech, which are not by any
means to be understood as literal. The Universalists, on
the other hand, rely upon many other texts in the Bible as
proofs that all mankind will be finally saved.
More than seventy years ago, there was a number of
Universalists in Candia, among whom were Col. Henry
True Eaton and family and Jonathan Pillsbury, who lived
in the house opposite to the present residence of Dr. Foster.
At a later date, Capt. Gilman Richardson, Joseph Richard-
son, and David Richardson were Universalists. Gilman
Richardson was a subscriber to the Trumpet, the organ of
the Universalist denomination in Boston.
It is said that, at a still later date, Amos Morrison, Ira
Godfrey, Shepherd Bean, Cyrus T. Lane, B. Smith and
others, including several women, were professed Universa-
lists.
During the summer of 1846, the Rockingham Association
of Universalists held its annual session at the old Free-
will Baptist Meeting House. The session continued two
days. Among the clergymen present, were Rev. Moses
Ballou, of Portsmouth, Rev. Mr. Jewell, of Exeter, Rev.
Mr. Lake, ofKingston, and Rev. Solomon Laws, ofTemple.
The towns of Portsmouth, Exeter, Kingston, Kensington,
Southampton, Poplin, Deertield, Nottingham and Raymond
were represented at the convention. A considerable
number of women, who belonged to the above mentioned
towns, were also present.
The clergymen and delegates were handsomely enter-
tained by the people who resided in the village and vicinity.
During the afternoon of the first day of the session, the vis-
iting brethren sat down to a sumptuous collation in the
vestry of the new church, which was furnished by the peo-
ple who lived in the village. Cyrus T Lane was the caterer
on the occasion. The courtesy of the proprietors of the
new church, who allowed the Universalists to occupy their
vestry, was fully appreciated.
During the convention, able and interesting sermons in
support of the doctrine of the Universalists were preached
«5
2 26 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
by the Rev. Moses Ballou, Rev. Mr. Jewell. Rev. Mr. Lake,
and also by Rev. Mr. Gage, formerly of Manchester.
Various interesting addresses were made at the meetings
by a number of delegates.
For a considerable length of time, meetings were held at
the Village school-house once a fortnight by Universalist
preachers, who belonged in Portsmouth, Exeter and vicin-
ity ; but it was finally deemed impracticable to organize a
Universalist society in the town.
THE SPIRITUALISTS.
The doctrine that the spirits of the departed often hold
communion with mortals who exist in the present age of
the world, was introduced into Candia about the year 1855.
A few persons, who were denominated spiritual mediums,
visited some of the families in the town at that time and
gave sittings or seances, as they were called. In the
course of a few months, a considerable number of the peo-
ple were converted to the idea that they received genuine
messages from their relatives and friends, whose bodies
had long been resting in the grave.
Spiritual physicians, who knew nothing about the science
of medicine, in their normal condition, but professed to be
guided and instructed by skillful practitioners, who had de-
parted to the celestial regions, had some practice in town.
Among: the converts to the new doctrine, were Leonard
Dearborn and wife, Thomas Bean and wife, True French
and wife, Mrs. Alamanza Roberts, Charles H. French, a
Mr. Colby, who lived on the old Captain Libbee place, Lu-
ther Flint and family, Plumer W. Sanborn, Leonard F.
Dearborn and wife and Henry Dearborn. Meetings were
held at private residences for several years, at which ad-
dresses, which were supposed to have been dictated by im-
mortals, were delivered by professional mediums.
Leonard Dearborn, sr. , and family removed to Lowell
.some time after they had become interested in spiritualism.
After residing there a few years, Mr. Dearborn died, and
his remains were brought to Candia for burial in the old cem-
etery. His funeral took place at the Methodist Church,
HISTORY OF CANDIA, 227
and Mr. N. H. Greenleaf, a distinguished Spiritualist orator,
made an able address.
When Mr. Luther Flint died, his funeral was attended by a
noted inspirational speaker.
All of those persons, whose names are here mentioned,
professed to have derived much comfort and consolation
from the additional evidence they had received, in proof
of the immortality of the soul, and that the state
of those who have passed on to the celestial spheres is
one of infinite progression.
THE ADVENT I STS.
Many years ago, a preacher by the n?me of William
Miller preached the doctrine that the world would soon be
destroyed and that Christ would m.ke his second appearance
to mortals. By closely studying the prophecies of the Bi-
ble, he regarded it as certain that the great event would take-
place in 1843. But nothing unusual happened that year.
Miller and his followers acknowledged they had made a
mistake in their cal :ulations; but they were sure that the
great event was very near, and might be expected at any
moment.
A considerable number of the preachers of this doctrine
have visited Candia at various times during the past forty
years. Meetings have been held at the school-house on
the North road and elsewheie, and converts to this system
of theology have been secured.
THE SOUTH ROAD FREE-WILL BAPTIST SOCIETY.
About the year 1846, a Baptist minister named Winslow,
came to town and preached at the school-house on the South
Road. He awakened a strong religious interest among the
people of that section of the town and the north part of Au-
burn, and it was at length deemed expedient to build a
meeting house to meet the demand for better accommoda-
tions. With the assistance of some of the disaffected Con-
gregationalists, who lived in that quarter of the town, and
■others, a small meeting house was erected. Rev. J. B
2 28 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Davis, a Free-Will Baptist minister, of Manchester, preached
the dedication sermon. Public worship was sustained for a
considerable time, and various ministers officiated, among
whom was Rev. Thomas O. Reynolds, who was a native of
the town. At length, the enterprise began to languish for the
want of proper support. The audiences became smaller
and smaller, and finally the building was sold, taken down
and hauled to Auburn, and rebuilt on a spot near the rail-
road station.
THE CATHOLICS.
More than thirty years ago, a few families, who were
Catholics, came to the town. Some of them settled on
small farms, and others lived in hired tenements. A num-
ber of other families came at various periods, until now
there are about thirty adults who are connected with the
Catholic Church. For their accommodation, a Catholic
priest, of Manchester, visits them at stated periods for the
purpose of giving them instruction. Religious services,
according to Catholic forms, are conducted at some of the
dwelling houses of the faithful.
CHAPTER XXIII.
MISCELLANEOUS.
FREE MASONRY.
The institution of Free Masonry is said to have originat-
ed in the time of King- Solomon, at the building of the
Temple of Jerusalem. It was introduced into the Ameri-
can colonies previous to the War of the Revolution. Wash-
ington, and many of the distinguished American citizens,
were Masons. Lodges were established in most of the
states of the Union, and the institution flourished up to the
year 1826. A short time previous to that date, one William
Morgan, who had been a member of a lodge in Batavia,
N. Y. , is said to have published a book in which all the se-
crets of Masonry were exposed. It has been understood
that the members of the Masonic fraternity charged that
the statements contained in the book were mostly false and
malicious. A few months after the book appeared, it is
said that Morgan very mysteriously disappeared, and was
never heard of afterwards. The story of the publication of
Morgan's book and his sudden disappearence was
soon known all over the country, and it was charged
that he was assasinated by a band of Masons in retaliation
for exposing the secrets of the order. When it became
known that Morgan had dropped out of sight there was in-
tense excitement all over the land, which was followed by
a feeling of bitter hostility to the institution of Masonry.
A political party, called the Anti-Masonic party, was or-
ganized, and newspapers were established for the avowed
purpose of overthrowing the institution. In some of the states
the Anti-Masons were in the majority. In many instances,
the Masons and Anti-Masons, who lived together as neigh-
bors, chreished a feeling of bitter hatred towards each
other.
The Masons in many parts of the country, who felt that
229
230 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
they had been deeply wronged, deemed it best to close
their lodge rooms until the storm of passion and prejudice
had passed away. All the lodge rooms in New Hampshire
were substantially closed, and all work was suspended for
a period of about fifteen years. When a better feeling on
the part of the public was manifested, the lodge rooms
were re-opened, and in the course of a few years new
lodges were established in all parts of the country. Dur-
ing the last thirty years, the order has prospered to a very
remarkable degree.
MASONRY IN CANDIA.
In November, 1826, the very year when Morgan is said
to have been murdered, the people of Candia were afforded
the first opportunity to witness the ceremonies connected
with a .Masonic funeral. Abel Follansbee, a native of Candia,
died at Newmarket and his remains were brought to this
town for burial in the old cemetery. Mr. Follansbee was a
member of a Masonic lodge, and his funeral took place
under the direction of the lodge to which he belonged. The
lodge marched in procession from the Corner to the Con-
gregational Church, where public services took place. Rev.
Mr. Wheeler made an address, after which the customary
masonic burial service took place. The body was then es~
corted to the cemetery, where other exercises took place,
and now, after the lapse of sixty-five years, a few Candia
people can distinctly remember the portly frame of Thomas
Jenness, of Deerfield, the chaplain of the lodge, as he bore
the great Bible in front of him upon a little platform, which
hung from his shoulders, and the response "So mote it be''
from the brethren, which at intervals followed the words of
the Worshipful Master and Chaplain during the ceremonies
at the grave.
Previous to 1866, there was a considerable number f
Masons in Candia who were members of lodges in Man-
chester or other places in the neighborhood. Among
them were Rufus Patten, Nehemiah Colby, Plumer W. San-
born, Rev. James Adams, John H. Nutting, A. Frank Pat-
ten. On June 16, 1866, a charter was obtained from the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 23 I
New Hampshire Grand Lodge tor the accommodation of
the members of the fraternity living in Candia and vicinity.
This was called the Rockingham Lodge,
The territory of the lodge embraces the towns of Candia,
Deerfield, Auburn, and the greatest part of Raymond. The
membsrs have been among the most intelligent and worthy
citizens of the towns to which they belonged. The follow-
ing are the names of the charter members of the lodge :
Charles Martin, James Adams, Plumer W. Sanborn, Carr
B. Haines, Rufus E. Patten, John K. Nay, A. Frank Patten,
Jacob L. Barker, David Patten, Orlando Brown, Josiah P.
Stinchfield, Joseph C. Cram, George H. Stevens, John G.
Martin.
The lodge room was established in the second story of
the building at the Corner, which had for nearly forty
years been occupied for a store by Moore & Sargent, Henry
M. Eaton, and others.
The following are the names of the members of the lodge
who have held the position of Worshipful Master :
James Adams, Rufus E. Patten, A. Frank Patten, William
B. Blake, Moses F. Emerson, Plumer W. Sanborn, Henry
C. Sanborn, Walter J. Dudley, A. F. Truel.
Among the Candia members of the lodge who have died
since it was organized are Rev. Silas Green, Rev. James
Adams, Rufus E. Patten, Josiah S. Morrill, Henry R. Mor-
rill.
All these were buried with Masonic honors. The re-
mains of Rev. Mr. Green were escorted to Epsom for bur-
ial by a very large number of the members of the lodge.
Rufus E. Patten died in 1879, and his funeral took place
at the Methodist Church. A large number of the members
of Rockingham Lodge, and more than sixty members of
Trinity Commandery of Knights Templar of Manchester, of
which the deceased was a member, were present on the
occasion.
ODD FELLOWSHIP.
The order of Independent Odd Fellows was founded in
Baltimore, mainly through the efforts of Thomas Wildcy
in the year 18 19. It is a cooperative association and, upon
the payment of certain fees and upon certain other sped-
232 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
fied conditions, the members are pledged to watch over the
sick, to bury the dead and to promote each other's welfare
under all circumstances.
A lodge of Odd Fellows was organized by the officers of
the New Hampshire Grand Lodge, March 6, 1885. The
lodge is called Leola Lodge, No. 76. The following are
the names of the first members :
L. E. Grant, J. H. Foster, Jonathan C. Hobbs, J. D-
Bean, John T. Bean, T. B. Turner, C. H. Turner, Ira P.
Godfrey, J. T. Nichols, George E. Eaton, Asa T. Truel
Charles S. Smith, A. F. Smith, Charles S. Lang, Webster
Varnum, E. W. Healey, George W. Bean.
First officers :
Noble Grand, I.. E. Grant ; Vice Grand, J. D. Bean ; Sec-
retary, John H. Foster ; Treasurer, J. B. Turner.
Present officers :
Noble Grand, A. M. Freeman ; Vice Grand, George W.
Bean ; Secretary, John D. Bean.
John Brown, who resided for many years in the Lang-
ford district, East Candia, was a member of this lodge.
Upon his death in 1890, he bequeathed the lodge the sum
of I500.
THE DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH.
A branch of Odd Fellowship called "The Order of the
Daughters of Rebekah" was instituted in Candia, October
17, 1889. The following are the names of the first
officers :
Noble Grand, T. B. Turner ; Vice Grand, Mrs. Webster
Varnum ; Secretary, Miss Bessie Truel ; Treasurer, Mrs.
A. F. Smith.
Present officers :
Noble Grand, Mrs. Charles Lang ; Vice Grand, Addie
Turner ; Secretary, Mrs. J. H. Foster ; Treasurer, Mrs. A.
F. Smith ; District Deputy Grand Master, T. B. Turner.
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC.
The Grand Army of the Republic was instituted soon
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 233
after the close of the war of the rebellion. The principal
objects of the organization were to preserve and strengthen
the fraternal relations which bind the soldiers wJio united
to suppress the rebellion ; to perpetuate the memory and
history of the dead ; to assist such comrades in arms as
need help ; to extend aid to the widows and orphans of the
fallen ; to maintain true allegiance to the United States and
fidelity to the Constitution, and to encourage the spread of
universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all
mankind.
The national or central organization is called The United
States Grand Army of the Republic There are subordi-
nate organizations of the army in most of the Northern
States. The local organizations are called Posts.
In 1864, a post called the D. B. Dudley Post, in honor of
David B. Dudley, an officer in a Wisconsin regiment, who
was killed at Antietam, was instituted in Candia. He
was a brother of W. J. Dudley.
The following are the names of the first officers of the
post :
Commander, E. J. Godfrey ; Senior Vice Commander,
Lewis D. Moore ; Junior Vice Commander, Charles A.
Jones ; Chaplain, Charles R. Rowe ; Quartermaster, Cyrus
W. Truel ; Officer of the Day, Merrill Johnson; Surgeon,
Henry C. Buswell ; Officer of the Guard, D. F. Straw ;
Adjutant, Charles H. Turner.
The following are the names of the officers in 1890 :
Commander, Alfred A. Mulliken ; Senior Vice Command-
er, John K. Moore ; Junior Vice Commander, Daniel F.
Straw ; Chaplain, Charles R. Rowe ; Quartermaster, Cyrus
W. Truel ; Adjutant, E. J. Godfrey.
TAVERNS.
The first regular tavern in the town was probably opened
about the year 1764, by Col. John Carr at his residence near
the Congregational Church. Many of the first town meet-
ings were held at the house both before and after the old
meeting house was ready for occupation. During the
progress of the War of the Revolution, the house was a sort
234 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
of rendezvous or rallying point for the patriotic soldiers and
citizens of the town. Soon after the close of the war, the
house ceased to be a tavern.
Stephen Clay, who lived opposite to the Carr mansion,
kept a tavern for a considerable length of time.
Samuel Anderson commenced keeping a tavern in 1805, on
the completion of the old Chester Turnpike. He built a very
large house on that thoroughfare, and he afforded ac-
commodations to a large number of people who journeyed
from their homes in the northern and western sections of
the state and Vermont to Boston, Haverhill and Salem. His
house was frequently filled to overflowing with guests. The
stage, which passed from Concord to Haverhill and Boston,
always stopped at his house to change horses. In 1822,
the house, stable and other buildings were totally destroyed
by fire. Other buildings were erected, and Mr. Anderson
continued to keep a public house until 1842, when the Con-
cord railroad was completed.
About the year 1821, Parker Morrill opened a tavern in a
house situated on the north side of High Street, once owned
by Capt. J. C. French, and now owned by Samuel A. Davis^
He kept a tavern there about five years and then removed
to Bridgewater.
About the year 1828, Frederick Fitts commenced keeping
a tavern at his residence, a short distance east of the Con-
gregational Church and now occupied by John Patten. He
erected a fine stable on the south side of the highway and
opposite the old Fitts" mansion. A very large number of
people from all sections of the town were present at the
raising. Deacon Fitts painted a beautiful sign, which
hung on iron hinges from a tall post near the tavern. In
due course of time, the hinges became rusty, and for many
years when the wind was high, the sign, as it swung to and
fro, produced a screeching noise loud enough to scare all
travelers on the road. Mr. Fitts kept his house
open as a tavern about eight years.
In 1835, William Turner commenced keeping tavern at the
place at the Corner, now occupied by Henry W. Moore and
previously owned by Benjamin Pillsbury. When the house was
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 235
sold to John Moore, Esq., it was no longer kept as tavern.
In 1853, Stephen B. Fitts moved a building, which he had
for some time occupied as a store at East Candia, to a spot
near the passenger station on the Portsmouth railroad at
the new Depot Village. He converted the building into a
tavern or hotel, and was the landlord for a year or two,
when he was succeeded by Robie Smith. Mr. Smith sold
out his interest to B. F. Tilton, who came from Raymond.
George W. Robinson was the next proprietor of the tavern.
He added a hall to the main building for public meetings,
dancing parties, and other entertainments. Mr. Robinson
sold the concern to E. D. Webster, and he was succeeded
by George W. Whittier, of Manchester. Mr. Whittier kept
the house several years, and in 1887, he sold the property
to Martin S. Butterfield. The present landlord is Timothy
G. Fellows, formerly of Deerfield.
LIBRARIES.
In 1791, the following named citizens of the town estab-
lished the Candia Social Library and purchased a collection
of books. Among those who were members of the associ-
ation, v ere John Robie, Col. Nathaniel Emerson, Ephraim
Eaton, Samuel Anderson, Col. Henry True Eaton, Luke
Eaton, Capt. John Sargent, Moses Fitts, Samuel Fitts, Dan-
iel Fitts, Nathan Fitts, John Lane, sr., Moses Colby and
Jonathan Pillsbury.
The library was kept for some time at the house of Wal-
ter Clay, at the place where Mr. Spaulding now resides.
Rev. Mr. Remington, who was a man of fine literary tastes,
was greatly interested in the library, which was well sus-
tained for several years. It is said that it contained an ex-
cellent collection of books. John Lane, sr., charged Moses
Fitts, an officer of the association, one pound and one
shilling for a large case in which to deposit the books.
About the year 1 810, the interest in the library began to
subside, and finally the books were divided among the
■members of the association.
THE FEMALE LIBRARY.
About the year 1795, a considerable number of the female
23^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
members of the Congregational society formed an associa-
tion, and purchased a collection of books for a library. A
large proportion of the books were of a religious character-
About sixty-five years ago, the library was discontinued,
and the books were distributed among the members who
owned it.
THE CANDIA LITERARY SOCIETY.
In 1824, a number of the principal citizens of the town
associated themselves together, for the purpose of estab-
lishing a new library. The following are the names of the
first members :
John Lane, Ezekiel Lane, Joshua Lane, Peter Eaton, Dr.
Nathaniel Wheat, Nathan Carr, Dr. Isaiah Lane, Col. Sam-
uel Cass, John Rowe, John Fitts, Alfred Colby, Abraham
Emerson, Francis Patten.
Among the books which were first purchased for this li-
brary, were Rollins' Ancient History, Plutarch's Lives, The
Spectator, Gregory's Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, The
American Encyclopedia, Morse's History of the American
Revolution, Walter Scott's Waverly, History of the French
Revolution, Marshall's Life of Washington, Irving's Life of
Columbus.
Dea. Daniel Fitts, who then owned the house where the
widow of the late Dr. Page now resides, was the first libra-
rian. He was succeeded by Peter Eaton, Dr. Isaiah Lane,
Nathan Carr, George R. Bean, Nathaniel B. Hall, and J.
Pike Hubbard.
In 1837, the society admitted several new members. The
following are their names :
Nathan Brown, Samuel Clough, Leonard Dearborn, Rich-
ard Buswell, Thomas Emerson, Asa Fitts, John Moore,
Benjamin Pillsbury, Samuel Martin, Freeman Parker, Jo-
seph Hubbard. Stephen M. Baker, C. Edwin Eaton. Thom-
as Lang.
About the year 1850, the society voted to close the libra-
ry and distribute the books.
the farmers' and mechanics' library. ^
In 1858, the following named citizens of the town formed
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 237
a stock company and established The Farmers' and Me-
chanics' Library :
John Rowe, John Lane, George B. Brown, Moses F. Em-
erson, George Emerson, Gilman C. Lang, Austin Cass,
John P. French, Alvin D. Dudley, J. Frank Fitts, M. D.,
William S. Healey, Asa E. Buswell, Jesse R. Fitts, William
Crane, A. Frank Patten, Samuel A. Buswell.
Austin Cass was the first librarian, and kept the library
at his house. He held the position a few years, when the
library was removed to the Depot Village, and John Rowe
was librarian. He was succeeded by Gilman S. Lang, who
was librarian several years. At length, George F. Cass
was elected to fill the position, and the library was removed
to his residence.
This library flourished for a few years ; but many of the
members of the association moved out of town, and it be-
came difficult to keep up the library to a proper standard
of usefulness.
THE SMYTH PUBLIC LIBRARY.
In 1888, Gov. Frederick Smyth, of Manchester, and a na-
tive of Candia, founded a public library in the town, nam-
ing it The Smyth Public Library. The following are the
names of the officers of the institution :
President, J Lane Fitts : Directors, J. Lane Fitts, A.
Frank Patten, George F. Cass, Woodbury J. Dudley, Al-
bert E. Colcord, Frank P. Brown; Librarian, Frank E.
Page.
The library was established at the residence of Frank E.
Page, the librarian, and in the very place where, nearly
seventy years before, the Candia Literary Society kept their
library. The first installments of books were purchased
and deposited with the librarian, and the library was opened
to the public in 1889. Another large collection of books
was added in 1891. The institution has given great pleas-
ure and satisfaction to the people of the town, who grate-
fully appreciate this valuable token of Governor Smyth's
interest in their welfare.
STAGES.
Soon after the completion of the old Chester Turnpike in
238 HISTORY OF CAND1A.
1805, a line of stages was established to run from Concord
to Haverhill, passing through Pembroke, Allenstown, Can-
dia, Auburn, Chester, Hampstead and Atkinson. At Hav-
erhill the line connected with one which ran from that
town to Boston. The stage at first made two trips a week,
but when the line was better patronized, three trips a week
were made The horses were changed at Anderson's tav-
ern, and the stage arrived there from Concord about y
o'clock, A. M. On its return from Haverhill, it reached
Anderson's at about 4 o'clock, P. M. The fare from Can-
dia to Boston was three dollars. Sometimes there was a
lively competition between this line and another, which
ran from Concord to Boston over the Londonderry Turn-
pike.
In the pleasant days of summer, there wa; some enjoy-
ment in riding upon the turnpike, over the hills and through
the valleys, on the outside of the stage, high up in the seat
above that of the driver; but in the coldest days of winter,
when the mercury in the thermometer was ten degrees be-
low zero, it was quite another matter, and it was not
strange that the shivering passengers were glad enough to
hover for a few moments around the great blazing fire in
Mr. Anderson's bar-room, while the horses were being:
changed, and were greatly cheered and comforted by the
tumblers of hot rum sling furnished by the accommodating
landlord.
The building of the Turnpike, and the running of a splen-
did carriage, hung on thorough-braces and drawn by six
horses, from Concord to Boston in twelve hours, was con-
sidered a wonderful achievement in those days.
At one period, the stages of this line passed from Hook-
sett to Chester over the old Chester road, and horses were
changed at Clark's tavern in Chester, now Auburn. Thom-
as Pearsons was the driver of the stage for many years.
He was succeeded by a man by the name of Stevens.
In 1842, when the Concord Railroad was completed, the
stages which passed over the Turnpike were withdrawn.
In 1834, Stephen Osgood, of Raymond, established a line
of stages from Pittsfield to Lowell. The stages of this line
passed through Deerfield and Candia. At Chester, this
HISTROY OF CANDIA. 239
line intersected with another which ran from Dover through
Raymond. This line carried the mail and arrived at Can.
dia Corner from Lowell at 4 o'clock, P. M. These stages
were withdrawn about 1842.
A short time previous to 1843, a stage ran f om Manches-
ter to Newmarket through Candia. This line also carried
the mail and arrived in Candia from Manchester about
noon. A Mr. Cate, brother of John Cate, a Mr. Mack and
others, were employed as drivers. On the completion of
the Candia branch of the Portsmouth Railroad, in 1862,
this line was withdrawn. ,
About 1855, some parties in Deerfield commenced run-
ning a stage from the Candia railroad station to De;rfield
Parade to carry the mail and passengers between those
places. There have been various owners of this line,
which has been fairly patronized from the time it was es-
tablished to the present date.
CANDIA MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY.
The above named company was organized April 28, 1859.
The following are the names of the first board of directors :
John Rowe, John Moore, Esq., John Smith, Rufus E. Pat-
ten, Cyrus T. Lane, Benjamin P. Colby, Alfred D. Fitts-
President. Plumer W. Sanborn.
Present board of directors :
Isaiah S. Lang, Isaac Fitts, Ira P. Godfrey, J. R. Batch-
elder, Daniel S. Bean, A. Frank Patten, Moses F. French;
President, Isaac Fitts ; Secretary and Treasurer, Moses F.
Emerson.
The company has met with some losses, but is now in a
very prosperous condition.
The total number of policies at the present time, is 129 ;
total amount of insurance on said policies, $83,570; amount
of premium notes, $5,184.
The following is a list of the losses which the company
has sustained :
By the burning of the building at Depot Village, known
as Ladd & Barker's store, in 1878, $1,690.98. The build-
ing was insured for $1,500. The company declined to pay
240 HISTORY OF CAKD1A.
the insurance, on account of some alleged irregularities of
some of the parties interested in the case.
The action was tried in the Supreme Court at Manches-
ter, and the verdict of the jury was against the company.
The said company expended nearly $300 for costs and at-
torneys' fees. Gen. A. F. Stevens and Capt. W. R. Patten
appeared for the company, C. R. Morrison for the plaintiff.
A barn, which belonged to William H. Knowlton. was
struck by lightning in 1881. The building and contents
were insured in this company, and a small sum was paid
to the owner.
On February 27, i860, a dwelling house on the Turnpike,
which belonged to David B. Langley, was burned. The
company paid the owner $164.68.
A small house, which was situated near Hall's mountain
and owned by a Mr. Connor, was burned a few years ago.
It was insured in this company, and the owner was paid
$100.
The company has sustained no losses whatever since
1881.
LIST OF TAXPAYERS IN l8lO.
Anderson — Samuel. Mary.
Bean — Abraham, Benjamin, Reuben, Moses, Jonathan, jr.,
Daniel ; Bagley — Jonathan, Winthrop, William, Samuel,
John, Nathan; Brown — Caleb, Caleb, jr., David, Daniel,
Aaron, Sewell, Nathan, Jonathan ; Batchelder — Benjamin,
Odlin ; Bus well — John, Moses, Samuel ; Burleigh — William;
Burpee — Nathaniel, Nathaniel, jr.
Carr — John, Joseph : Clark — Henry, Joseph, Joshua ;
Cammet — John, John, jr. ; Cass — Samuel, Benjamin; Clay
— John, Stephen, Stephen jr., Walter; Clough — Samuel,
Theophilus, Elijah, Samuel, jr.; Clifford — John, John, jr.,
Zachariah, William, Joseph ; Colby — Moses, Seth, Nehe-
miah ; Colcord — Samuel ; Collins — Samuel, Jonathan , Cur-
rier— Timothy, Jonathan, Benjamin, Theophilus ; Critchel
— James ; Cheney — Eleazer B. ; Dearborn — Samuel, Moses,
John, Samuel, jr.
Dolber — Israel, John ; Davis — Benjamin.
!
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I
, • -*
-wmHS^^^^^HM
^b
■ttm— mn
HENRY M. EATON.
Sketch, page 502.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 241
Eaton — Ephraim, Henry, Henry T., Paul, Jesse, David,
Beter ; Emerson — Nathaniel, Nathaniel, jr., Samuel, Moses;
Edgerly — Benjamin.
French — Nicholas. Nicholas, jr., Moses, Moses, jr.,
John, Josiah, Jonathan C. ; Foster— Samuel, Joseph, James;
Fitts — Daniel, Moses, Samuel, Abraham, Reuben, Nathan ;
Fifield — Stephen, John, John, jr., Peter, William.
George — Ephraim ; Griffin — David ; Gale — Reuben.
Hall — Obed, Sargent, Benjamin, Caleb ; Hardy — Samuel;
Healey — Benjamin, Jonathan; Hobbs — Thomas; Hub-
bard— Benjamin, Joshua, Joseph ; Huntoon — Elisha.
Knowles — Amos, Levi, Eleazer.
Lane — John, John, jr., Thomas B. ; Lang — Benjamin,
Benjamin, jr.; Libbee — Jacob, Isaac.
McClure — James; Marden — John, Stephen; Martin — Jo-
seph; Morrill — Samuel, Samuel, jr., Adoniram ; Moore —
John, Andrew, Joshua, Andrew ; Mooers — Samuel.
Palmer — Joseph, Stephen, Moses, William ; Pillsbury —
Abijah, Jonathan, Caleb, Benjamin ; Phillips — William
Rowe — Isaiah, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Sher-
burne, John P. L. ; Robie — Walter, Walter, jr., John, Wil-
liam, Levi.
Sargent — Samuel, Jonathan, Moses, Moses, jr., John,
James, Josiah ; Smith — Oliver, J. Chase, Biley, Jonathan,
Stephen, Henry, Biley, jr., Benjamin ; Stevens — Solomon ;
Seavey — Benjamin.
Taylor — John ; Thorn — Nathan ; Towle— Elisha, Thom-
as ; Thresher — Henry ; Turner — Moses.
Varnum — -James.
Wiggin — Joseph ; Whittier — Daniel ; Wheat — Nathaniel ;
Ward — Simon ; Wason — John ; Woodman — Jonathan.
F I RES.
The first buildings burned in the town of which there is
any account were the dwelling house and the saw and
grist mills that were erected at the Island near Raymond
line and owned by William Eastman. This fire took place
in 1759.
16
242 HISTORY OF CAWDIA.
A few years later David Bean's mills and residence which
stood a few rods south of the site of Eastman's mills were
burned. The fire caught from burning bushes near by.
The exact date of this fire cannot now be obtained.
About the year 1808, a school house, which stood near
the present Congregational meeting house, was burned.
In October, 1821, Samuel Anderson's tavern, situated on
the turnpike, a stable, a barn and the outbuildings were to-
tally destroyed.
In August, 1825, the dwelling house of John Lane, Esq.,
situated on the North Road, was burned. Mrs. Lane had
been baking and the roof of the house was set on fire by
sparks from the chimney.
In April, 1831, the dwelling house of John French, fa-
ther of Col. C. M. French, situated on the road which ex-
tends from Candia to Chester, with all the furniture, was
burned. A quantity of flax, which some of the members of
the family were combing in the kitchen, was set on fire by
a spark from the fire-place and the house was soon in flames.
A school-house on the Chester road, in District No. Four,
was burned about the year 1826.
About the year 1835, a blacksmith shop belonging to Ich-
abod Cass was burned. The shop stood near the present
parsonage which belongs to the Congregational Society.
The old Congregational meeting-house was burned, Jan-
uary 25, 1838.
A school-house on the South road, in District No. Three,
was burned about the year 1839.
Franklin Clay's steam saw mill, situated on the New Bos-
ton road near the house of Isaiah Lang, was burned, 1846.
Aaron Rowe's cooper's shop was burned in June, 1850.
About the year 1850, the old John Prescott house on the
New Boston road nearly opposite to the junction of that
highway and the cross road leading to the Congregational
meeting-house, was burned.
In 1853, a portable steam saw mill and a large quantity
of sawed lumber, which belonged to Dr. Moses Hill of
Manchester, were burned at a spot a short distance from
the residence of Edmund Smith.
In August, 1856, the dwelling house and outbuildings
HISTORY OF CANDIA, 243
belonsfine: to Gil man Richardson, and situated on the Deer-
field road about half a mile north of the village, were to-
tally destroyed.
In the summer of 1S5S, the Ordway house, which was
situated on High Street a short distance west of the Congre-
gational meeting house, was burned. The building be-
longed to Dudley Lang. Insured.
Amos Polly's house, situated at the extreme west end of
High Street, was burned, in 1859, Insured.
Levi Flint's barn, situated near the residence of Ed-
mund Smith, was struck by lightning and burned in 1840.
Insured.
A few years later William Anderson's barn in the same
neighborhood was struck by lightning and consumed.
About the year i860, Barney Gannon's house, situated
on the New Boston road, was burned- The place was long
owned and occupied by John Worthen.
In i860, David B. Langley's house on the Turnpike was
totally destroyed by fire. Insured.
In i860, a dwelling house in the Village belonging to Joel
B. Smith, was burned. Insured.
In 1865, the old Morrill house on High Street, the next
dwelling above Samuel Morrill's residence, was struck by
lightning and slightly damaged. Insured.
In 1874, anew saw mill, which had been erected on the
site of the old Clay mill on the stream flowing through the
New Boston district, was destroyed. The mill was qwned
by Franklin Clay and occupied by J. E. Fitts. Insured.
In 1880, George H. Hartford's dwelling house, situated
near the Deerfield line on the cross road leading from Can-
dia North road to Deerfield, was destroyed Insured.
Charles C. Conner's dwelling house, standing near Hook-
sey: line at the foot of Hall's mountain, was destroyed, 1878.
James Varnum's dwelling, about a quarter of a mile
south of the Congregational meeting-house, was burned
in 1877. Insured.
The dwelling house of Samuel A. Davis on High Street
was burned in 1875. Insured.
TheEder Evan's house on the Knowlton road near Pol-
ly's corner, owned by John Clark, was burned in 1S77.
244 HISTORY OF CANDIA
The old Caleb Brown house and barn on the Baker road,
owned by George Brown, was burned in 1876. Insured.
A school-house in the Langford District was burned in
1873-
The old Burleigh place on the North Road, owned by Ir-
ving Bean, was burned about the year 1878.
A barn which belonged to Tristram Brown, and sit-
uated near the Langford road, was burned in 1875.
Ladd and Barker's store at the Depot Village was burned
in 1878.
A barn which was owned by Jeremiah Crowley, situated
in the southeast part of the town, was burned about the
year 1880.
A dwelling house on the turnpike and owned by Frank
Neal was burned in 1884.
The old John Taylor place, on the Colcord road, was de-
stroyed in 1882. At the time of the fire the place was own-
ed by John H. Moore.
In 1 88 1, a dwelling house, situated at the south part of
the Depot Village and owned by Jesse Sargent, was burn-
ed. Insured.
A dwelling house on North Road, owned by John Batch-
elder, was burned about the year 1882. The house was
formerly owned by Stephen Brown, senior.
In 1881, a barn on the Knowlton place on the cross road
leading from High Street to Hooksett was struck by light-
ning and totally consumed.
In 1887, a building at the Depot Village, which was
built for a creamery by Charles H. French, A. Frank Patten
and others, was burned.
In 1 8 S 5 , the dwelling house owned by James Brown, was
totally destroyed by fire. The house stood on the site of
John Lane's residence, which was burned in 1825. »
In 1890, a budding which had been fitted up for z. hosiery
mill, at Depot Village and rented by Wm. Clow, was entire-
ly destroyed by fire. The machinery was well insured.
THE RAILROAD.
The Concord and Portsmouth Railroad was incorporated
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 245
in 1S45. The route, which extended from Concord through
Pembroke, Allenstown, Hooksett, Candia, Raymond, Ep-
ping, iSfewmarket and Greenland to Portsmouth, was sur-
veyed by Samuel Nott, the chief engineer of the corpora-
tion. The road was laid out the entire length of Candia, a
distance of about six miles and one-fourth, and about a
quarter of a mile south of the centre of the town. The fol-
lowing are the names of the owners of the land in Candia
which was taken for the road beginning at the Raymond
line: Joseph C. Langford, Samuel Dearborn, George W.
Griffin, John Abbott, Silden Moore, Willis Patten, Jesse
Towle, Jonathan Brown, Moses Emerson, Nathaniel Em-
erson, Freeman Parker, Samuel Cass, Austin Cass, Asbury
Buswell, Henry S. Eaton, John Webster, Caleb Brown*
William Duncan, John C. Fifield, the heirs of Peter Fifield,
Aaron Brown, Joseph Hubbard, Nehemiah Brown, John
Sullivan Brown and Moses French.
A large proportion of the above named citizens took
stock of the railroad corporation in payment for the land
which they surrendered.
The road through the town was constructed by various
contractors and a large number of laborers were employed
for several months. Shanties were erected on the route at
East Candia and at a place about half a mile below the
present Depot village, and at several other places on the
line of the road, for the accomodation of large nnmbers of
laborers who were employed.
The work was difficult and expensive on account of several
long and deep ledges which stood in the way. In two or
three cases the contractors, who had taken the jobs, lost
money ard were obliged to fail; and one, after having re-
ceived from the corporation the money due him, ran away
without paying either his workmen or his creditors in the
town who had furnished him with large quantities of provis-
ions and other supplies. Stephen B. Fitts, the trader, was
one of the parties who lost a considerable sum of money
in this way. After various vexatious delays and great ex-
penditure of labor a passage was cut through the great
ledges and the rails were speedily laid.
While the section of the road in Candia was in process of
246 HISTORY OF CANDIA
construction, several serious accidents occurred. At one
time as the workmen were laying rails upon the track near
the summit about a mile above Cass"s Crossing' two cars
loaded with rails broke away from the engine and ran rap-
idly down the track towards Raymond, a distance of three
miles, and came in collision with an engine which stood
on the track. The engine was completely ruined.
At another time a brakeman, while walking on the top of
a construction car near Emerson's Crossing, his head com-
ing in contact with the bridge, he was instantly killed. A
man was also killed by falling from a derrick at Emerson's
ledge.
The road was completed in sections, from time to time,
and was opened first from Portsmouth to Newmarket, af-
terwards to Epping, then to Raymond and finally, in 1852,
to Candia, Hooksett, and Pembroke to Concord.
At first two stations or depots were established on the
line of the road in Candia, one at the point at the present
Depot Village and the other at Cass's Crossing on the South
Road. The passenger station at the Depot Village was
then located or the north side of the railroad track a few
feet east of the present station. In 1884, the old station
was torn clown and the present one, which is considerably
larger, more commodious and expensive, was erected.
Stephen B. Fitts was the first station agent at the Depot
Village. He was succeeded by Robie Smith, who held
the position only a short time. In 1858, J. Harvey
Philbrick was appointed. Mr. Philbrick held the position
a short time to be succeeded by William D. Ladd, who
served three months, when Mr. Philbrick was re-appointed
to hold the position until May, 1891, when he resigned af-
ter a continuous service of 35 years. He was succeeded by
H. Hutchms for three months, and he by L. P. Brown,
the present agent.
The passenger station at Cass's Crossing was erected on
the west side of South Road and on the south side of the
railroad track.* Samuel Robie was appointed station agent.
On account of a lack of business the Concord and Ports-
mouth Railroad, after having been operated for a period of
eight years, proved to be a financial failure. No dividends
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 247
could be paid to the owners and the stock on the corpora-
tion fell to a very low figure. The citizens of Candia who
took the stock of the corporation in payment for the land
which was taken for the road never realized anything from
their investments. *
> *
In iSoo, the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad was leased
to the Concord Railroad corporation. At about the same
time the Candia Branch Railroad extending from Manches-
ter was chartered by the legislature and that part of the
Concord and Portsmouth Railroad which extended from the
station at the Depot Village in Candia to Suncook was dis-
continued, and the rails were taken up.
The Candia Branch Railroad was built :n i860. The
following are the names of the owners of land which was
purchased for the new thoroughfare to Manchester and the
sums paid to each: John Robie, $431 66; Jeremiah Lane,
$57 83 ; Benjamin Cass, $301 2>Z > Henry M. Eaton, $62 85 ;
Mrs. John D. Patterson, $1048. Francis Patten, $92 50;
Abraham Emerson, $109 16 ; Freeman Parker, $63 7>2> 5 E.
P. Prescott, $42 50.
The road was opened to Manchester, in 1861. Im888,
a passenger station was erected at East Candia and George
W. Griffin was appointed agent.
PERAMBULATING THE LINES.
A law was enacted by the legislature many years ago
which provided that the boundary lines between the sever-
al towns of the state should be perambulated or walked ov-
er once in seven years for the purpose of ascertaining as to
whether the monuments, which had been set at the time
when the towns were incorporated, were in their proper
places and in a good state of preservation. This duty was
performed by a joint committee of Selectmen from the
towns which bordered upon each other. Thus a commit-
tee of the Selectmen of Candia and Chester upon a day ap-
pointed would meet together and walk carefully over the
line dividing the towns through swamps and valleys and
over rough crags and hills, and if they found any of the
monuments which marked the lines decayed or displaced
248 HISTORY OF CANDIA
they forthwith repaired or restored them to their proper po-
sitions. When the time came that the line between Can-
dia and Deerfield was to be perambulated another joint
committee consisting of the Selectmen of these towns per-
formed the same duty as was done in the case of Candia
and Chester, and so on until the boundary lines between
all of the towns had been examined. After each perambu-
lation of the lines had been made, a certificate to that ef-
fect was made and inscribed in the records of the several',
towns and signed by the members of the joint committees^
of the Selectmen who performed the service.
CHAPTER XXIV.
INDUSTRIES.
HISTORY OF MILLS.
MILLS AT THE VILLAGE.
William Turner, who settled on Lot No. 35, 3d. Division,
built a saw mill on the stream at the village a short time
previous to 1756, at the spot where the present grist and
saw mills are located. This was the first mill built in the
town.
Joseph Bean built a grist mill near by a few years after-
wards and, from that time, a grist mill has been in oper-
ation at this spot.
There have been many owners of these mills during the
past hundred and forty years, among whom were the late
Judge Butler of Deerfield. At the present time there is a
grist and shingle mill at this place, which is owned by
Charles H. French and Oscar Hall.
Thomas and Moses Critchett carried on the business of
carriage making many years in a building adjoining the
grist mill, and were furnished with water power from the
same pond.
Elder Bean had a small mill for grinding: bark for his
tannery at this place.
About the year 1806, a saw mill was erected on the stream
at the village a short distance above the grist mill just de-
scribed and a few rods from the present F. W. Baptist
church.
Asa Ordway soon afterwards erected a building near
this saw mill and put in a carding machine. Mr. Ordway
died in 18 12 and Elihu B. Cheney, who came from Deer-
field, bought the carding machine and operated it many
years. Mr. Cheney also bought the saw mill and operated
249
25O HISTORY OF CANDIA.
it in connection with his carding- machine. He finally sold
the property to Enoch Brown of Deerfield. These mills were
demolished more than thirty years ago.
Charles S. Bagley, who came from Goffstown, erected a
clothing mill about sixty rods beiow the highway which ex-
tends through the village. In 1821, Freeman Parker came
from Bedford to Candia and bought Mr. Ordway's mill, to
put in a new carding machine and machinery for dressing
cloth for men's and women's wear. He also put in ma-
chinery for rolling sole leather. In 1846, Mr. Parker sold
the mill to Jason Godfrey, when it was changed to a saw
mill. Mr. Godfrey operated the mill a considerable time,
and then sold it to a man by the name of William Wall.
In a year or two Mr. Wall sold the property to George E.
Eaton and Charles H French, who are the present owners,
MILLS AT THE ISLAND.
In 1757, Samuel Eastman and Samuel Eastman, jr., who
came from Kingston, bought part of Lot No. 78, 3d. Divis-
ion, which is situated in the east part of the town near the
Raymond line, and built a saw mill and dwelling house.
In 1759, the property was destroyed by fire, and a new mill
and dwelling house were erected about forty rods further
up the stream.
After a few years David Beane, who came to Candia from
Epping, bought the place and operated the mill a consid-
able time, when it was destroyed by a fire which was
running in the woods near by. Mr. Beane erected another
mill on the same site. The property descended to his son,
Abraham Beane, and in 1,812 the latter built a new dam
about sixty rods above the old mill and erected a saw mill
and grist mill.
The stream which flowed from the mills and another
stream which came through the raceway united at a point
nearly a quarter af a mile below and formed an island. It
was from this circumstance that the neighborhood is called
"The Island. "
Deacon Beane operated the mills many years with suc-
cess. He died, Oct. 29th, 1833.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 25 1
Joseph Beane, son of Deacon Abraham Beane, was the
next owner of the property. After his death there were va-
rious owners, until finally it was sold to Joseph A John-
son, who came from Derry in 1863. He is the owner at
the present time.
MILLS IN THE NEW BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD.
The first mill in this section of the town was erected
by Ensign Clay, Benjamin Lang and others on the stream
which flows from the west part of the town to the vil-
lage and the Island more than eighty years ago. A saw
mill was first built at this place, and a few years later
a grist mill was erected at the same dam. A man by
the name of Judkins was one of the owners. Abel Love-
joy had charge of both of the mills from about 1824 to
1836.
About the year 1846, Franklin Clay built a steam mill
on a spot on the New Boston road near the residence of
Isaiah Lang. He put in machinery of various kinds and
employed a considerable number of hands in making ta-
bles, bedsteads and various kinds of furniture. The en-
terprize required considerable capital, and was not a de-
cided success. The mill was burned about the year 1849.
Several years afterwards he built a new and expensive
dam and erect a new saw mill at the site upon the river
in the New Boston neighborhood where his grandfather,
Ensign Clay, owned and operated a saw mill many years
previously. He carried on the business of manufactur-
ing lumber of various kinds for several years, after which
John E. Fitts, a resident of the village, had charge of the
works. In 1874, the mill was totally destroyed by fire.
THe SAW MILL ON THE NORTH ROAD.
Obededom Hall, the first settler on the North Road, built
a saw mill upon the same stream as the Clay mill about
a mile and a half above the latter, as early as 1770.
This mill has been remodeled and improved at various
times. Among its owners were Nathan Brown, Abra-
252 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ham, Nathan and Jesse Fitts, , Sargent Hall, Obededom Hallr
jr., Daniel and Samuel Fitts, Captain Abraham Fitts, Jon-
athan Hobbs and John Rowe.
In 1824, the mill was rebuilt and about the year 1840 a
shingle mill was built just below. A large amount of bus-
iness has been done at this mill during the winters and
springs for many years.
About eighty-five years ago, Benjamin Hall, son of the
first Obededom Hall, built a grist mill on the mill stream a
few rods above the cross road which extends from Hieh
Street to Deerfield. After a few years he sold out to Abra-
ham Fitts, who operated the mill many years. Mr. Fitts
was succeeded in the ownership of the mill by Joshua C.
Hall, Mr. Randlett and others, until about twenty years
ago Samuel C. Davis bought the property. He changed
the grist mill to a saw mill and erected a shingle mill.
THE GENESEE MILL.
More than ninety years ago a saw mill was erected on
the stream whieh flows from Kinnicum Pond through
Moose Meadow and across the turnpike above the resi-
dence of Dearborn French and empties into the Tower Hill
Pond. Among the original owners were Benjamin Hub-
bard, John Cammett, Stephen Fifield, Jonathan Brown,
Dea, Samuel Cass and David Brown, A profitable busi-
ness was done at this mill for many years. It was demol-
isheb abont forty years ago,
MAPLE FALLS MILL.
This mill was situated on the stream which runs from
Sawyer's and Sargent's ponds in Hooksett. It was built on
the reserve between the fifth and sixth ranges of lots in the
third division, Among the original owners of this mill were
Aaron Brown. Benjamin Cass, Samuel Morrill, Theophilus
Clough, Benjamin Hubbard, David Brown and Samuel Cass.
brown's mill,
Aaron Brown, jr, , about fifty years ago built a saw mill
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 253
■on the north fork of the stream which flows from the west
part of the town through the New Boston neighborhood to
the Village. A large amount of business has been done at
this mill. The present owner is George C. Brown, son of
the first owner.
THE KNOWLES OR CASS MILL.
Ezekiel Knowles, who was the first settler on Lot No. no,
3d. Division, in 1777, built a grist mill on the stream which
is formed by small rivulets flowing from the height of land
situated near the southwest part of the town and Brown's
meadow. The mill was rebuilt by the Knowles family, in
1805, In 1825, the Knowles' place and the mill was sold
to Col. Samuel Cass, who made important improvements
in 1830 At the death of Col. Cass, in 1854, the mill came
into the possession of his son, J. Quincy Cass. He died in
1878 and the mill was soon afterwards demolished.
emerson's mill.
Sometime before the war of the Revolution Col. Nathan-
iel Emerson and several 01 her persons, built a saw
mill on the stream which operated the old Knowles' mill.
The Emerson mill was located a few rods south of the rail-
road station at the Depot village. In the year 1805, the mill
was torn down and another erected about twelve rods far-
ther down the stream, When the new road from the De-
pot Village was built, in 1852, a mill was erected still far-
ther down the stream. A circular saw was put in at that
time by Abraham Emerson and Coffin Moore the proprie-
tors. Lewis Simons of Manchester owned the mill several
years. The present proprietor is David Brown.
THE PATTEN MILL.
A saw mill was built many years ago upon the stream
which operated the Knowles mill and the Emerson mill at
a point near the Concord and Portsmouth railroad, about
half a mile west of EastCandia depot. Of the first owners
were J. Wason, M. Patten and Mr, VVhittier; more recently
254 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
were J. Osgood Wason, Col. Rufus Patten, George Brown,
John Abbott, George Patten, Charles Emerson and David
Gile. During the past six years but little business has been
done at this mill.
FARMING.
In the early part of the present century the business of
farming in our town had reached a good degree of prosper-
ity. A large proportion of the land had been cleared of its
forests and vast quantities of boulders of various sizes,
that had been lying upon or near the surface, v ere piled
up in great heaps on some barren place. Many of the
fields and pastures had been walled in at a vast expendi-
ture of labor; the soil had not become exhausted of its fer-
tilizing qualities; and the farmers of those days, unlike
those of a more modern date, were not embarrassed by the
difficulty of procuring assistance in cultivating their lands.
Many of the people of those times had very large families
of children, often ten or a dozen. Children were not then
regarded as an incumbrance and a misfortune, but as a
o
blessing and a positive benefit to their parents. They were
not indulged in every whim and caprice or allowed to over-
rule their parents, as is too often the case in these days; but
they were taught and compelled to obey their parents and
show respect to their elders. Moreover, they were taught
to largely depend upon themselves, and when the boys
were eight or ten years of age, they made themselves use-
ful upon the farm, and when they had entered upon their
teens they could dextrously handle the ax, the hoe, the
shovel and the scythe, to perform more than half as much
labor as an average hired hand. The girls also gave val-
uable assistance to their mothers in managing the affairs
of the household,
There were no great manufacturing towns in tho?e days
where young men and women could earn great wages, so
many of them were content to stay at home and help to
carry on the farm, until they were old enough to get
married and set up for themselves. The thrifty farmers
of those days could easily procure all the labor they might
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 255
need from among that class who had no farms of their own
at moderate compensation. .
In winter the labors of the farmers were light and easy
as compared to those of the most of the other seasons of the
year. The cattle and other stock were cared for, fires were
tended, the snow was shoveled from the doors, and paths
opened to the barn and the highway. Bags of corn, rye and
wheat were taken at intervals to the grist mill for grind-
ing. The year"s supply of wood had to be cut in the for-
est and hauled to the great door yard. A few pine and hem-
lock loes had to cut and taken to the mill and sawed into
boards for fencing or repairs upon the buildings.
Towards the last of February the hens and roosters be-
gin to cackle, the turkeys gobble and a few of the pullets
commence to lay. Later on, a few lambs and calves make
their appearance. How delighted are the children to
jump over into the pens in the barn and take up the tender
lambs and fondle them in their arms, or hug the calves
around their necks and look into their great, soft and won-
dering eyes. Sometimes a lamb is disowned by its mother
and the poor thing is taken into the house, to be placed in
a basket upon a warm blanket and kindly nursed in the
hope of saving it for future usefulness. But the experi-
ment often failed and the poor iamb, after a few hours of
struggles and sufferings, gives up the ghost, How pitiful
are its moans through the long, dreary night and how sin-
cerely is it mourned by the children. The bodies of the
dead lambs were often hung upon the limbs of apple trees
out of the reach of dogs, for the purpose of preventing the
latter from acquiring a habit of attacking and devouring
sheep as they roamed in the pastures.
By the first of March, as the winter term of the district
school closed, the bigger boys were required to assist in
chopping the fire-wood. With the thick, clumsy axes of
that period this was no easy task, and sometimes it re-
quired two or three hours for a boy a dozen years old to
chop a great rock maple log in four sections half through
ready for turning. The hands of some of the boys became
cracked and sore, inside and out, by the jar made in chop-
ping in the wind, and very queer remedies were prescribed.
256 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Very early in the spring arrangements are made for the
manufacturing of maple sugar. The wooden buckets and
spouts are put in order, the trees are tapped and the sap is
brought to the house and boiled down in pots and kettles
over the kitchen fire. In case the maple trees are standing
at a considerate distance from the house, a camp with all
needful conveniences is constructed, and the sap is boiled
down in great iron kettles. When the time for sugaring off
arrives, the boys and girls of the neighborhood have a
jolly time at the camp or in the kitchen.
Sometimes, after a very warm day, the weather suddenly
becomes very cold during the night and all the sap remain-
ing in the buckets is frozen and all the saccharine matter is
concentrated into the richest kind of syrup. Informer days
many of the farmers made nearly enough sugar and syrup
for the year's supply; but at this date there are compara-
tively few maple trees in town and only little sugar is made.
Towards the end of March the blue birds, the robins, the
sparrows and the pewees have arrived, and a few days la-
ter flocks of wild geese, in harrow-shaped columns, are
flying at intervals high up in the air under the leadership of
an old and trusted gander, headed for the bays and islets ot
Labrador. Sometimes these birds of passage alighted in
Tower Hill pond or Lake Massabesic to rest their tired
wings. Now and then a great loon or crane might have
been seen far up in the heavens at early evening twilight
slowly flopping its great wings as it journeyed towards the
northern regions.
As the days grow longer and warmer the frogs are peep-
ing in the swamps and the rank, green stalks and leaves of
the Indian Poke or Skunk Cabbage are shooting up in the
meadows. The boys are set to work picking the rocks or
small boulders on the fields, that were laid down to grass
the previous year. Board fences are constructed and old
ones are repaired. While the workmen are driving the
chestnut stakes into the ground or twist about them the
withes of green birch boughs to support the three or four
tiers of boards one above another, they were very liable
to come spank upon a big black snake and his mate,
lying near the hole which had been their winter habitation.
X
>
\
GEORGE HALL.
Sketch, page 518.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 257
And now it is time to set up the great mash tub near the
outside kitchen door and fill it with ashes, to make the
year's supply of soft soap. No hard or bar soap was known
in the town in those days, except the small cakes of cast
steel soap used for shaving. "The women folks" poured
the hot water upon the ashes in the tub and soon the dark
lye was drawn off through a hole in the bottom of the tub,
and boiled with the grease that had accumulated during the
year.
And now the spring rye, wheat, oats and flax must be
sown; apple trees must be pruned and grafted, and young
apple and pear trees must be set out. Until within a few
years, great crops of luscious peaches or rare-ripes, as they
were called, were raised; but now, for some reason, the at-
tempt to raise this kind of fruit is generally a failure.
About the first of April, great broods of chickens are
hatched and the old goose comes from the pen with a dozen
or so of pale-green, velvety goslings. The martins and
swallows have arrived and are skimming swiftly over the
fields and meadows. On rainy days, some of the boys
must go to the dark, damp cellar and sit for hours by the
light of a tallow candle and sprout potatoes; or mount to
the garret and shell corn upon the long handle of an old-
fashioned frying pan.
The cowslips are blooming in the valleys; the fields are
spangled all over with the yellow dandelions and every-
body can enjoy the coveted mess of boiled greens. By the
twentieth of May, the bob-o-links, the thrushes and the
gold robins have come; the apple trees are in full bloom,
and the corn, potatoes and the beans must be planted.
There were no corn planters in those times, and each hill
had to be dug out and covered with the hoe. The boys
and girls are delighted to be detailed to drop the corn and
other seeds, and are scrupulously careful to drop just five
kernels of corn in each hill and one pumpkin seed ^in each
alternate hill in every other row.
When the corn is planted something must be done to de-
ter the crows from trespassing on the grounds. Some-
times long lines of twine are stretched across the fields, to
17
258 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
make the foolish crows believe that a deadly trap is set for
them; and sometimes a dead crow is hung to a stake as a
solemn warning; but the images of men and women in va-
rious postures were the chief reliance. The figures of the
old women with old straw bonnets and in gowns dangling
about the stakes, and those of the men with outstretched
arms and pantaloons highly ornamented in certain places
with great patches, made an interesting exhibition for the
people who passed along the roads near by.
Then the corn and potatoes must be hoed. A furrow is
first plowed between the rows by horse power. The plow
was often stopped by a deeply seated boulder when, as a
consequence, the small boy that rode and guided the horse
was suddenly pitched forward over the head of the animal
to the ground. The boy generally picked himself up with-
out a murmur and resumed his place as if nothing had hap-
pened.
When the cattle had been turned out to pasture, how the
children love to climb to the scaffolds and the high beams
in the barn and jump down into the bay upon a ton or two
of hay, while the chattering swallows under the ridge pole
are chasing each other from one end of the barn to the oth-
er; and how delighted they are to roam over the fields and
pastures, to gather the sweet, ripe strawberries! Early in
June, the fields of rye and wheat are waving majestically
in the gentle summer gales; the sweet grass in the pastures
is abundant; the cows come home at evening with their
richest treasures and serenely chew their cuds in a mood
of perfect satisfaction and contentment.
The cows in the town seventy-five years ago were the
descendants of those sent over from England and Holland
to the early colonists of New Hampshire and Massachusetts
two hundred and fifty years ago and many of them, when
they were well cared for, were fully as valuable tor all pur-
poses as are the average breeds of modern days, and the
same may be said of many of the oxen that drew the plows
and hauled the loaded carts at that period.
Many of the children of the farmers at that time were
initiated into the mysteries pertaining to the art of milking
when they were eight or ten years old and at their first at-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. . 259
tempts in this line it frequently happened that the old cow
placed one of her feet squarely down into a twelve quart
pail of milk or kicked it over altogether.
On some warm and pleasant day after the planting has
been completed, the sheep must be washed. This was
generally done in some swiftly-running stream below a
saw or grist mill. The boys were allowed to wash the
lambs and their struggles with the frightened creatures in
the water afforded some fun to the lookers-on. The sheep
of those days often caused their owners much trouble by
jumping over the walls and fences into the cultivated fields
under the lead of an old ram or bell wether. In such cases
fettering the legs of the sheep was considered the only
remedy.
The reference to sheep recalls a passage in Thomas Car-
lyle's great essay upon the life of Dr. Samuel Johnson.
After quoting the statement of the German philosopher,
Jean Paul, that a whole flock of sheep will jump over an
imaginary pole after the real pole over which the bell weth-
er has jumped has been removed, Carlyle declares that the
great masses of mankind are utterally incapable of guiding
themselves and, like stupid sheep, they too must have their
bellwethers and jump over nothing, blindly following those
who undertake to lead them, whether in the matter of
fashion, politics or religion, without knowing or caring
to know why they are led this way, that or the other.
Haying begins soon after the 4th of July. A few patches
©f grass around the house are first mowed, and soon after
the red-top and clover fields are attacked. Before mowing
machines came into use haying was very hard work. The
farmers often went to the fields sooi^after sunrise and mow-
ed until seven o'clock when breakfast was served. In the
course of the forenoon the workmen in the hot sun often
uncovered a b ig bumble bees' nest. After the bees
had been put to rout the victors enjoyed the taste of the
delicious honey that had been secured.
At noon the old me eting house bell or a tin trumpet sum-
mons the hungry laborers to dinner. The afternoon is de-
voted to raking and getting in the hay. Five o'clock is the
hour for supper, and the work is often continued until after
260 HISTORY OF CAKDIA.
sunset. And as the coming twilight is fading away the
whip-poor-wills are singing in the woods and thickets; the
night hawks are swooping down perpendicularly from the
sky; the lightning bugs have come upon the scene and the
air is filled with glittering sparks of fire.
Previous to 1820, the farmers of the town raised more
than enough wheat for the use of all their families. At that
time the coopers now and then brought a barrel or two of
flour from Newburyport in exchange for their fish barrels.
This flour had been manufactured in Genesee county, New
York, then regarded as the greatest wheat producing section
in the country.
After haying, the industrious and thrifty farmers take the
opportunity to cut and burn the bushes, the brakes, the
hard-hacks and ferns that encumber their fields and pas-
tures; dig and remove the rocks and otherwise improve
their lands. In the meantime, the blue-berries, the black-
berries and other wild fruits have ripened and there is a
plenty of green peas, new potatoes, string and shell beans,
beets and other garden sauce, so the farmers and their fam-
ilies can enjoy a feast fit for a king. Soon the early ap-
ples, peaches and pears begin to ripen, and in the latter
part of August baked sweet apples and milk are among the
luxuries of the supper table.
And now the days grow shorter, the crickets begin to
chirrup and the nights become cooler. Many of the flow-
ers in the fields and gardens are glorious in their beauty,
and the humming birds and bees are darting from one to
another, sipping the sweet nectar they contain. The ear-
ly frosts generally come by the twentieth of September, the
Indian summer sets in, and the forests are soon arrayed in
gorgeous robes of yellow, crimson, emerald, purple and
gold. Millions of birds are winging their course to the sun-
ny regions of the south.
The corn in the fields is cut, brought to the house and
piled in a huge heap upon the barn floor. From twenty to
thirty men and boys gather around the heap, sitting in old
chairs and on milking stools or on bunches of corn fodder.
An old-fashioned tin lantern with one tallow candle inside
is hung by a ring to 'the long handle of a pitchfork that is
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 26 I
stuck horizontally into the side of the hay mow next to the
corn to be husked; and then, by the feeble, glimmering
light the company sit five or six hours busily stripping the
husks from the glossy ears, and telling stories, cracking
jokes, singing songs or talking good sound sense, accord-
ing as the spirit moves. Once in a while some of them go
out of the barn for a short time to straighten out their be-
numbed and cramped limbs, and to look up with wonder
to the sparkling stars through the cool, clear atmosphere
and pick out from among them the Great Bear, the North
Star, the Pleiades or Cassiopeia. The owner of the corn
and an assistant hav3 as mu:h as they can attend to in
taking up great armfuls of unhusked corn and throwing
them down into the laps of each member of the company,
and taking the great baskets of ears as they became husk-
ed to the garret.
Seventy-five years ago and later an abundance of liquor
was furnished the husking party and a junk bottle was
passed to each member and all with scarcely an exception
took a good dram.
When all the corn had been husked the party, men and
boys, partook of a grand supper of baked lamb, baked
beans, Indian pudding, pumpkin pies, doughnuts, etc.
In October, the potatoes are dug and along with the ap-
ples and garden vegetables are placed in the cellar. Great
cart loads of apples are taken to the mill and made into
cider
Many of the farmers of those days had great orchards
of apple trees; but there was only a little grafted fruit be-
fore the year 1825. The most of the apple trees were of
the native varieties, the fruit of no two being alike. While
the most of the native trees bore fruit totally unfit to eat
there were others that produced large, fair and finely flav-
ored apples, fully equal to the Baldwins of a later date.
Large loads of the inferior qualities of apples are drawn
to the mill to be made into cider. The apples are placed
in a hopper and crushed between two upright wheels, upon
one of which long, deep grooves are cut to receive the
projecting tenons cut in the other, when both are closely
locked together. The mill was operated by a long, crook-
262 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ed horizontal lever or crane which at one end was attached
to a perpendicular shaft connected with one of the wheels
and at the other, to a horse, As the horse moved round
and round in a circle the apples were crushed with a groan-
ing or shrieking sound and the pumice fell into a great
wooden trough. A boy sitting upon a plank placed across
the trough and close to the machinery, with a small wood-
en paddle, removed the portion of the pumice that adherred
to the wheels, or "nuts" as they were then called. This
operation was called "scraping the nuts." The pumice i s
then taken to the press, which is fitted with great wooden
screws, and placed upon nice clean oat straw layer u pon
layer, until the pile, or "cheese" as it was called, was
four or five feet high. The screws are then applied and
soon many little rivulets of cider are flowing down into a
vat made by cutting a molasses or rum hogshead in twain.
Then was the time the boys and girls were on hand to
suck through oat straws their fill of the sweet fluid as it
came from the press.
There were cider mills in all parts of the town and many
great piles of pumice were to be seen along the roadside
near by. Great quantities of cider were made, some far-
mers making fifty barrels or more, and a few not over four
or five barrels.
The women in October have been kept busily employed
in paring and stringing apples; and now, after the cider
has been made many large quantities are boiled down, the
old brass kettle is brought forth and the supply for the win-
ter of rich, brown apple sauce is made and stored away in
the cellar.
And now November has come; the fierce winds begr'n to
blow causing the rafters and braces in the houses and
barns to sway slightly and creak. As it becomes colder
the ponds and streams are frozen over and though the boys
have few if any skates, they love to slide just the same,
though they are quite liable to fall and bump their heads
upon the ice and see stars in the day time.
When a very cold snap comes before much snow has
fallen the deeply frozen ground in many places cracks and
opens in zig-zag seams a dozen or twenty rods in le ngth
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 263
with a loud report, causing the buildings to tremble. In
the coldest and most frosty weather the nails in the
sides and roofs of the buildings snap and break with a
noise like the report of a musket.
Towards the last of November, Thanksgiving day arrives
and the grown-up sons and daughters, with their wives
and husbands, meet at the family mansion of one or the
other of their parents to have a good time in communing
with one another, and to enjoy the chicken pies, the roast
turkey, the plum puddings and the mince, apple and pump-
kin pies set before them.
Early in December, after the hogs and beef cattle were
slaughtered, the sauiages have been made and the candles
for the year have been dipped, winter comes on in earnest.
The fields and roads are covered with snow and the great
old-fashioned sleigh bells are tinkling merrily. These old
strings of bells, consisting of eight or ten in number, were
of different sizes, some of the larger ones weighing three-
fourths of a pound or more. The bells owned by one cit-
izen were often set to a pitch differing from all the others in
town, so when an individual was familiar with the tone of
a string of bells belonging to a certain citizen he be-
came aware of his approach when he was a mile off.
Mr. Samuel Fitts, who lived on High Street, had a string of
very large bells that were specially rich in tone, and when
his old white- faced mare trotted up and down the hills
with the bells upon her neck nobody except the dullest could
help being delighted with the music that filled the air.
When the great storms came in winter and the roads were
blocked with snow all the oxen and steers in the highway
districts were hitched together to an ox-sled with a log
chained in front of the runners. The sled was covered with
men and boys, while a few went ahead to shovel through
the larger drifts to enable the team to pass along. The
weight upon the sled pressed it down into the snow instead
of plowing it out as is the custom at the present day.
The foregoing is a description otsome of the phases of
farming as it was carried on between the years 1800 and
1824 A short time previous to the last date, cotton man-
ufacturing by machinery was introduced into this country.
264 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Great corporations were formed, large amounts of capital
were invested and many mills were erected. The city of
Lowell was founded at about the latter date and large
numbers of young men and women from the towns far and
near were employed. Great factories were built at Nash-
ua four or five years later; and, in 1837, Manchester was
surveyed and laid out for a manufacturing city. The first
mill there was put in operation, in 1838, and in a period of
three or four years a dozen or more mills were in active op-
eration.
The young men and women and others of more mature
age who lived in Candia were first attracted to Lowell, and
scores of girls from High Street the North Road, the South
Road and other parts of the town became employed there
at various trades and as operatives in the mills.
Lowell afforded a good market for the farm products of
Candia; but when Manchester became a thriving manufactur-
ing town the farmers had a market close by, and many of
the young people of both sexes established themselves
there.
In the meantime, great lines of railroads and many new
cities and large towns were built in all sections of the
country. The gold and silver mines of California and Ne-
vada were discovered, and great opportunities were offered
the young people who had been brought up on the farms
of Candia to secure at least a moderate fortune and pro-
vide themselves with some of the luxuries as well as the
mere comforts of life. Many of these classes left the old
homesteads and settled in the large cities and towns in va-
rious sections and some of them became eminently suc-
cessful.
During all this time the generation of farmers they left
behind were dying off or becoming so decrepid'with age that
they were unable to do a fair day's labor. Many of these
had not the means to employ the necessary help to carry
on their farms or to provide the needful fertilizirg materials
to restore them to their primitive state of productiveness.
There are some excellent farms in Candia and there might
be many more if the soil was properly cultivated; but a
good many people like to live in a city where there are
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 265
splendid churches, fine music, libraries,- attractive amuse-
ments and social entertainments, instead of dwelling all the
year round on the most romantic and delightful spot in the
country, where there are but few neighbors, and where
a carriage passing along the highway is regarded as a cu-
riosity and the members of the family rush to the windows
to get a view of it.
In these days, when cattle, sheep and swine can be
brought a thousand or two miles from the West and sold
with profit in Manchester at a lower price than they can be
raised in New Hampshire; and when strawberries, early
potatoes and garden vegetables from the Southern States
can be enjoyed by the inhabitants of the city at a small ex-
pense two months before the same kind of fruit and produce
raised in the North are fit to be eaten, it becomes a diffi-
cult task to demonstrate that farming in this quarter of the
state can be made a very profitable industry.
DOMESTIC MANUFACTORIES.
Soon after the early settlers were established upon their
farms they began to keep sheep. The women carded and
spur the wool , and it was woven in great wooden looms,
that were set up in the house of the well-to-do farmers.
Spinning five skeins of woolen yarns was considered .a
good day's work; and women who worked out were paid
fifty cents a week and boarded. The process of weaving
in the clumsy looms was a laborious one. The web was
sprung by the feet, the shuttle was thrown rfrom one side
to the other by the hands and the lathe, that supported the
reed, was swung to and fro to beat in the filling by the
right and left hands alternately. Five or six yards on
of weaving were a day's work. The warp was wound up-
quills and the filling on spools, the winding being often
done by boys and girls. The best of the wool was woven
into cloth for men's and women's wear. That intended for
men was taken to'the clothier to beguiled, dyed, sheared and
pressed. That to be worn by the women was simply dyed
and pressed. To save expense many of the men and boys
wore a stout kind of wailed cloth, that was simply dyed.
266 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
A boy clothed in garments made of this very coarse kind of
stuff, after being engaged in snow balling during a recess
at school, before he returned to his seat, found it difficult to
brush from his back and legs the great masses of snow ad-
hering to them.
Some of the women wove bed covers or coverlets and
much ingenuity was displayed in the weaving of the vari-
ous ornamental figures and colors. In the summer the
men wore tow and linen cloth for trousers and sometimes
a fabric made of cotton and linen called "fustian." Cot-
ton bought at the store was often mixed with wool and
made into cloth for men's wear.
It may be mentioned here that some of the early settlers
wore leather breeches made of tanned sheep skins when
about their every-day work, and a few even wore them to
church on the coldest days of winter.
The sheets, pillow cases, table covers and the undercloth-
ing for summer wear were made mostly of linen spun upon
the old-fashioned wheels that were operated by a treadle
moved by the foot. The flax when ripened was pulled up
by the roots and spread upon the damp ground to rot and
soften its outside woody covering. This was then separat-
ed from the flax by processes called breaking and swing-
ling.
COOPERING.
The business of coopering was an important industry
very soon after the town was first settled. The farmers
needed barrels to hold their salt pork and and also pails,
wash tubs, firkins, buckets and various other wooden ves-
sels for family use. All of these were furnished by work-
men who had learned the cooper's trade. Some of the ves-
sels were made of oak, but the most were made of pine.
Beside those that have been named were two smaller
wooden vessels, one of which called a "noggin," held
three or four quarts, one stave projecting a few inches
above the others for a handle. This vessel was often used
as a [soft soap dish. The other, which was about the
same size, was fitted with a hard wood handle attached to
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 367
its side at an angle of forty-five degrees like a porringer.
This was called a "piggin" and was used in the kitchen
for dipping water.
William Turner, Elijah Clough and Samuel Worthen had
the reputation of being expert workmen as the manufact-
urers of pails, tubs, piggins and other wooden ware used
in the kitchen.
Sometime before the war of the Revolution broke out,
there was a demand in Salem, Portsmouth and other sea
ports for oak shooks or staves with hoops and headings
for molasses hogsheads. The hogsheads were made and
then taken down, tied up in bundles so as to be portable
for shipment to the West Indies. After their arrival there
they were again set up and made ready for use.
During the first fifty years of the present century a large
number of the citizens of Salem, Portsmouth and Newbury -
port were extensively engaged in the mackerel fishing bus-
iness, and there was a constant demand for fish barrels.
The business of making fish barrels constantly increased
from small beginnings until scores of workmen were prof-
itably employed. There were coopers' shops, flanked by
great piles of staves and hoop-poles, in nearly every sec-
tion of the town. Many farmers followed the business in
winter and at other times when their services were not ab-
solutely needed on their farms.
There was an abundance of the best of pine lumber in va-
rious sections of the town in ihose days and more especial-
ly in the southwest part in the vicinity of the Turnpike. A
considerable number of men were constantly employed in
felling the trees and in riving or splitting the wood into
staves. A number of men were also employed in cutting
and trimming poles for hoops. The poles were mostly
small saplings of ash and oak.
Among the most prominent coopers in town fifty years
or more ago were J. R. L. Rowe, Enoch Worthen, Lewis
Worthen, Aaron Brown, Peter Fifield, Elias and Joseph
Hubbard, John C. Fifield, True French, Samuel Morrill,
Parker Morrill, Sargent French, Capt. Jesse Eaton, Capt.
Abraham Fitts, Samuel Fitts, Josiah French, Samuel Mooers,
Elijah Clough, Jacob Libbee, Abraham Emerson, Jonathan
268 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Brown, Aaron Heath, John Rowe, Nathaniel Rowe, jr. .
Aaron Rowe, Moses Rowe, B. Pillsbury Colby, Abraham
Fitts, Daniel and Archibald McDuffee, Samuel Buswell,
Moses Varnum, Willis Patten. There were also coopers
who lived at the Island, on the Colcord Road, South Road
and the Langford Road.
William Duncan, Master Moses Fitts, Peter Eaton, S. Ad-
dison Sargent and other traders in town employed young
men to make barrels. Samuel Anderson, the inn-keeper,
also employed many coopers in his day.
Those coopers who did a large business hauled their bar-
rels to Newburyport with a four-ox team. The cart was'
fitted with upright poles about ten feet in length on the side
and at each end to keep the barrels in place. The poles
were fastened together at the top with narrow strips of
board in which holes had been bored to receive the ends of
each of the said poles. A hundred barrels, which were set
upon their ends, one above another, was considered a load
for one of the ox teams. It took three days to go to New-
buryport and back. The first night was often spent at
Southampton and the journey was resumed early the next
morning. The barrels were generally disposed of early in
the afternoon of the second day. after which the drivers re-
turned to Southampton with their teams to spend the night.
In good times the barrels were sold for about seventy-
five cents each. Sometimes each barrel contained a half-
barrel inside. These were called "pairs" and sold for about
a dollar and ten cents. Many of the coopers, who carried
on the business on a small scale, took their barrels to mark-
et on a one-horse cart. Some of the teamsters to Newbu-
ryport, besides taking home with them small quantities of
goods bought in exchange for their barrels, often hauled
great loads of rum, sugar, fish, etc., for the traders in the
town.
When the Candia teamsters met each other on an even-
ing at Southampton, they were very liable to have a big
jollfication among themselves.
More than forty years ago the fishing business in Newbu-
ryport declined and there was little demand for barrels, and
only a few have been made in Candia since.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 269
SHOEMAKING.
Among the first settlers were a few shoemakers, but the
names of most of them have not been preserved. In 1781,
John Lane, the carpenter and cabinet maker, in his ac-
count book credits Peter Mooers for making two pairs of
shoes for four shillings, and he charges him for making a
shoe maker's seat with seven drawers, seven shillings and
sixpence. He also charges him for a cutting board and a
lamp chimney, one shilling; and for a calf skin for a pair
of men's shoes, two shillings. Peter Mooers then lived on
the west side of the road from the Corner to the Village and
near the present residence of William Patten.
In 1780, Mr. Lane charged Nathaniel Burpee one shilling
and sixpence for making a shoemake'rs seat for his son Ez-
ra. For some years shoemakers traveled from house to
house carrying their kit and bench, to remain until shoes
were made for the entire family. This practice was some-
times called "whipping the cat."
In the course of some years, there were shoemake's shops
in several sections of Candia, and men's, women's and
children's shoes made to order. Many of the farmers often
furnished their own leather for the soles and uppers. Most
of the men and boys wore heavy cow-hide shoes ajid in
many cases, one pair by being tapped once or twice, lasted
a year. Sometimes there was no binding put on the uppers
and the edges of the quarters were just as they came from
the cutter's hands.
In winter knit woolen buskins resembling gaiters were
worn over the shoes and ankles to protect them from the
snow and keep the feet comfortable. The buskins were oft-
en fastened over the shoes by leather strings made of tanned
woodchuck's skin. As the people improved their condition
many of them could afford calf-skin boots and women had
shoes made of morroco; and some of them that had to trav-
el a long distance to church often kept on their every-day
shoes or went barefooted until they came in sight of the
meeting- house to put on their best ones and then tuck the
old ones in some crevice in the stone wall by the road-
side
27O HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Soon after the beginning of the present century many en-
terprizing and prosperous shoemakers lived in Candia.
They took apprentices for a term of years, and sometimes
they employed journeymen. Among these can be mention-
ed Elder Moses Bean and Samuel Dudley. They carried
on the business at the Village. After them came Gilman
Richardson and Joseph Richardson.
About the year 1824, there were a few shoemakers em-
ployed in making sale work for wholesale manufacturers
of Haverhill, Mass. Among these were George Gilbert,
Charles Butler. Major Ebeneezer Nay and Asbury Buswell.
After these came soon Leonard and Thomas Dearborn,
Henry Clough, Col. Samuel Cass, Austin Cass, besides sev-
eral others, until finally the business increased so much,
that shoemakers' shops stood in every section of the town.
Almost every boy who could hold a lapstone was either
an apprentice or full-fledged workman.
The uppers were cut and bound in Haverhill and the soles
of different sizes. A.t first the workmen had to procure
the stock and return the manufactured article. At length,
special agents, called freighters, transacted this busi-
ness, so the shoemaker had only to keep at his work, re-
ceiving his money upon the freighter's return. John Cate
has been employed as freighter for several years to and
from Haverhill.
Samuel Dudley commenced to manufacture women's sale
shoes at the Village previous to 1840. The uppers were cut
and the binding done mostly by the women in the Village
and vicinity. He employed a large number of hands, the
business adding very much to the prosperity of the town.
He continued in the business until about 1854.
In 1854, Alvin D. Dudley manufuctured shoes on a larger
scale in the Village in the building on the west side of the
street that is now owned by J. Roland Batchelder, the car-
penter. He did a flourishing business and employed many
persons. In 1870, Mr. Dudley moved to Haverhill.
About thirty years ago John B. Richardson manufactured
at the Corner; and Oliver Critchett carried on the shoe busi-
ness at the Depot Village; each employed about 40 workmen.
Within twenty years the shoe business has been almost
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 27 1
entirely revolutionized by the inventions of the shoe sew-
ing machine, the pegging machine and other improvements.
Formerly the work of making a _hoe, except the cutting
and binding, was done by one workman, but now several
are united in a team, one doing the lasting, another the
stitching, one the pegging or sewing, another putting on
the heels, another the edges and still another scraping and
finishing the bottoms. The work is done very rapidly by
the help of machinery at a saving of much labor.
In 1878, Edward Dearborn commenced the busines of
making pegged shoes by machinery in the Langford Dis-
trict.
In 1887, his brothers, Jenness and Woodbury Dearborn,
erected a two-story building, 64 feet long by 62 feet wide,
and put in a full line of machinery and steam power, for
manufacturing ladies' sewed slippers. They employed 30
hands, turning out 680 pairs per day.
In 1893, John Holt came to Candia from Raymond to en-
gage in the business of making sewed shoes by machinery
in the Langford District.
In 1885, Jacob Holt, coming to East Candia from Lynn,
Mass., entered into joint partnership with his cousin, John
Holt, in the business of making ladies' slippers by ma-
chinery. They employed about thirty hands. The firm
did a good business for a considerable time, until it dissolved
and Jacob Holt went into business on his own account.
He erected a new building of two stories, 30 feet wide and
70 feet long, putting in a full assortment of machinery. He
employed 30 hands.
There are about 100 hands employed in manufacturing
shoes in this district.
Since 1889, Elijah Morrison and a few other journeymen
have manufactured sale shoes by machinery in a building
situated on the B. Pillsbur/ Colby place near the Cor-
ner.
William Dearborn during the past three years has man-
ufactured sale shoes in a building at the Depot Village.
Allen Nelson employed fifteen or twenty hands in
manufacturing women's shoes by machinery in a build-
ing at the Village opposite the old Freeman Parker house
272 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
He is now located in the second story of J. RowlandBatch-
elder"s carpenter shop.
SILK CULTURE.
During the years 1835 and 1836, a considerable number of
the people of Candia, Chester and other towns in the vicini-
ty became much interested in the subject of producing silk.
Various agricultural writers and editors in Boston and else-
where contended that the raw material for manufacturing
silk goods could be produced in New England as well and
as profitably as in France and other eastern countries,
Acting on these suggestions, people in various places pro-
ceeded to set out mulberry trees for the purpose of supply-
ine food for the silk worm.
Among the people in Candia who were interested in the
new enterprize were Dr. Isaiah Lane, Francis Patten, Cap-
tain Abraham Fitts, Alfred Colby, Asa Fitts, Ezekiel Lane
and his sister, Hannah Lane. Dr. Lane procured a lot of
young mulberry trees from Boston and sold them to the
parties above named In due time enough leaves were
nroduced to feed the few silk worms that were hatched
from the cocoons that had been supplied.
After the silk worms had produced a small quantity of
cocoons, the next thing to be done was to reel off the ex-
tremely fine threads of silk covering them. Hannah Lane
and two or three other women managed to reel silk enough
to make a few small skeins for sewing.
After the experiment had been fairly tried it was found
that the climate was rather too cold for the silk worms and
that considerable capital would be required to make the
business a success. The failure of the enterprize caused
much disappointment to some of the parties concerned in
it, and especially to a young and popular school mistress
who had invested all the money she had earned by keep-
i<ug one of the district schools in the summer term of 1836.
Nearly all of the mulberry trees that were set out in the
town fifty years ago have either decayed or been cut down,
excepting four or five in the door yard at the residence of
the widow of Captain Abraham Fitts on High Street.
SAMUEL MORRILL.
Sketch, page 511.
MIANDA MORRILL.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 273
WOOD AND TIMBER.
During a period of nearly forty years, the business of cut-
ting large tracts of wood and timber has been one of the
most profitable industries in the town. Before the year 1852,
cord wood and timber for building purposes had to be haul-
ed by teams in small quantities to Manchester. Many
years previous to that date, small quantities of boards were
taken to Methuen and Newburyport.
In 1852, at the time the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad
was opened to Candia, various parties that resided in Man-
chester and other places bought timber lots in the town and
transported the lumber to Concord, Manchester and else-
where by cars. When the Candia Branch Railroad was
opened to Manchester, in 1861, there was a considerable
increase in the business and almost every year since that
time wood lots in the town have been sold and operated
nearly every year. The following is an account in part of
the sales and operations in these lands :
Dr. Moses Hill of Manchester, in 1853, bought a large
timber lot situated in the Southwest part of the town be>-
tween the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad and the Turn-
pike. Dr. Hill set up a portable steam mill on his lot to
saw the logs into boards, frames for buildings, etc. This
was the first steam mill which was operated in the town.
About 1853, William P. Channell of Durham bought
a timber lot of Abraham Emerson. He also bought larp-e
quantities, of ship timber in various parts of the town.
In the year 1854, David Fellows, who came from Deer-
field and purchased the old William Duncan place, bought
several lots in the Southwest part of the town near the Turn-
pike, and had the logs sawed at Dr. Hill's steam mill.
About the same time, Dunlap and Houston of Manches-
ter, bought the Maple Falls saw mill, and also bought a
large timber lot situated between the lower end of High
Street and the Baker Road. This lot belonged to the heirs
of the late Caleb Brown, and the lumber was sawed at
the Maple Falls mill.
John M. Parker, David Parker and Lewis Simons of Goffs-
18
2 74 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
town bought of Abraham Emerson a wood lot, which
formerly belonged to Samuel Wilson, situated between the
Chester and Patten roads. Also a very large timber lot
situated on the farm which formerly belonged to Maj. Simon
French.
Gilman Clough and his son, LewislA. Clough, several
years ago bought of Col. Coffin M. French a very valuable
timber lot situated in the Southeast corner of the town.
They also bought a wood and timber lot which belonged
to J. Osgood Wason, and was situated in the same neigh-
borhood.
In 1855, David Houston bought a valuable timber lot of
John Robie, situated on the Manchester road.
About fifteen years ago, Rufus Patten sold a large timber
lot to Gilman Clough.
About the year 1875, Jesse Sargent bought a timber lot at
the Island, which was a part of the estate of Joseph Bean.
About the same time, David Houston bought a large
wood lot of Charles S. Emerson and the lumber was sawed
at a steam saw mill temporarily located at the Depot Vil-
lage.
About twenty years ago, a large timber lot situated on
the east side of Hall's mountain was sold to Harrison Rowe
of Hooksett and S. S. Davis of Manchester The lots form-
erly belonged to Obededom Hall.
Edmund Smith at various times bought and operated
several timber lots situated on the North road. He also
bought of George B. Brown the Jonathan Brown .place on
the Patten road. Upon the farm there was a large timber
lot. Mr. Smith owned a large timber lot, situated on his
own farm. He cut and sawed the timber in 1875.
About 1878, Dana Thrasher sold a timber lot, situated on
the Colcord road.
James Thompson of Hooksett, about the year 1872,
bought ;the Nehemiah Brown place on High Street, upon
which there was a fine wood and timber lot.
About eight years ago, George W. Griffin of Auburn
bought of the heirs of the late Henry M. Eaton a timber
lot, situated on South Road.
About fifteen years ago, the heirs of Gilman Richardson
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 275
sold to out of town parties a timber lot, situated on the
Deerfield road north of the Village.
Mr. Dunlap of Manchester and Jonathan Hobbs bought
the timber on a lot which was owned by Jacob S. Morrill. A
few years ago A. J. Edgerly and Jesse Sargent operated a
large timber lot which Edgerly bought of George Emerson.
In 1 888, Lewis A. Clough of Manchester bought the
timber on the farm of the late Col. H. T. Eaton, situated on
South Road.
A few years ago, George E. Eaton and Joseph Hubbard
bought a timber lot, situated on High Street which was
owned by Leonard Dearborn.
In 1888, Gilman Clough bought of Shepard Bean,1 a
large timber lot, situated on the cross road leading from
High Street to Deerfield.
About fifteen years ago, David Houston and George E.
Eaton bought of Benjamin Hubbard the wood and timber
on the farm which the latter purchased of Parker Morrill.
About the same time, Charles H. French and G E. Eaton
bought of A. J. Fifield a timber lot, which was situated on
the farm of the late John S. Fifield
In 1889, Francis D. Rowe sawed the timber that he cut
from a lot, situated on his farm on North Road, with a
steam saw mill on the ground.
In 1887, George W. Griffin of Auburn bought a lot of wood
and timber, situated on Samuel Morrill's farm.
The wood lots were sold at prices varying from $300 to
$8,000 or $10,000. It is well understood that by far the
largest proportion of the money which is deposited in the
Savings Banks of Manchester and elsewhere by the citizens
of Candia was received from the sale of wood and timber
lots located in the town. There are still many other lots
of wood and timber of much value.
CARRIAGES, SLEIGHS, ETC.
About the year 1816, Thomas and Moses Critchett, sons
of James Critchett, who lived on the Colcord road, com-
mence d the business of making wagons, carts and sleighs
in a building adjoining the grist mill at the Village. Thev
276 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
also made bedsteads, chairs and tables. They retired in
1865.
John Moore, Esq., about the year 1827, began to make
wagons in a building near his dwelling house at the Vil-
lage which has been owned many years by Jacob S. Mor-
rill. He sold the wagons in considerable quantities in
the surrounding: towns and in Maine.
Elder Moses Bean manufactured wagons at the Village
several years.
As early as 1836, William Turner carried on the business
of carriage making in a building which stood next to the
mill pond and three or four rods east of Woodbury J. Dud-
ley's present residence. Stephen Dudley, who was a wheel-
wright, carried on business in a building which stood next
south of the residence of the late Benjamin Taylor.
In 1850, Carr B. Haines, who came from Maine carried on
the business of carriage making several years and employed
eight or ten hands. His shop was located on the north
side of the mill stream and next to the highway. Before
that date thorough-braces were introduced and still later
steel springs came into use.
J. Rowland Batchelder has carried on the business of
making and repairing carriages at the Village ten years.
Sargent Hall who lived on the North road made carts tor
the farmers several years. Previous to 1831, the felloes of
the wheels of many of the carts were made thick and stout
and without iron tires.
TANNERS.
The following are the names of some of the tanners who
have carried on the business of tanning and currying leath-
er : Walter Clay, one of the first settlers on the South road,
Moses Bean on the Colcord road, and the Village, Samuel
Dudley, Oilman Richardson, Joseph Richardson.
BLACKSMITHS.
Among the first blacksmiths were Abraham Fitts, Moses
Dustin, Benjamin Lang, Benjamin Cass, Benjamin Smith,
HISIORY OF CANDIA. 277
Peter Lane and Maj. Je.se Eaton. These were succeded
by Daniel Fitts, Nathan Fitts, ' Ichabod Cass, Thomas B.
Lane, Eben Eaton, John Lang, Thomas Lang, Capt. John
Smith, Daniel B. Robinson, Wm. S. Healey, Alanson
Higley, Lewis Renno, Charles Dumore, Dudley Bean, Jacob
Lang, Gilman C. Lang, Walter Hackett, E. F. Meloon.
The blacksmiths of the early days did all kinds of work.
In addition to job work, such as shoeing oxen and horses,
forging chains and making plow irons, they made hoes
axes, shod shovels, pitchforks, scythes, door latches and
handles and bolts. The shod shovels were made of oak
and shod on the edges with iron.
Previous to 1810, the oxen when shod were thrown down
upon a bed of straw and turned over upon their backs. A
man held the head of an ox and his fore and hind legs
were drawn down and lashed together so that they crossed
each other between the knees and ankles; the blacksmith
then proceeded to shoe them in that position. Some black-
smiths went from farm to farm and shod oxen on the prem-
ises. Soon after 18 10, oxen, when they were shod, were
lifted or swung from the floor by great leather straps which
were placed under their bodies as is the custom at the pre-
sent day.
CARPENTERS.
The following are the names of some of the carpenters
who lived in the town : Stephen Marden, John Lane, Jo-
seph Foster, Joseph Lane, John Lane, jr. , Joshua Lane,
Ezekiel Lane, Moses James, Eleazer Knowles, Jonathan
Smith, Jacob Libby, Thomas Colby, John Emerson and
Hiram Clifford, Parker M. Towle, Jonathan Martin, Phine-
as Colby, Asa Colby, Jonathan Colby, John Morrill, Reuben
Dunn, Frank H. Davis, Thomas Emerson, True Foster,
John Prescott, Jonathan Brown, Smith Quimby, Luther S.
M onroe and J. R. Batchelder.
John Lane, besides being an excellent carpenter, made
many wool spinning wheels, looms, tables, chairs, cases
of draws, book cases, bureaus cradles, harrows, plows.
278 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
shoe maker's seats, windlasses and wheels for wells, cheese
presses and fliers for linen wheels, window sashes, bed-
steads, looking glass frames, wagon shafts, whiffle trees,
warming pan handles, spools, bread troughs and bread
shovels and various other articles used in the household
and on the farm.
Joseph Foster and Alexander Gilchrist were good cabinet
makers as well as carpenters or joiners. Mr. Foster was
always spoken of as "Joiner Foster."
The tables, bureaus, drawers and book cases which grac-
ed the ''best rooms," fore rooms or west rooms as the par-
lors of those days were called, were made in a skillful, work-
manlike manner, and many of the best chairs of a hundred
and thirty years ago which are still preserved in the town,
are models of strength and antique beauty. Many of the
bureaus and tables were made of black cherry, black birch
or birds eye maple which grew plentifully in the forests,
and the pine lumber was of the finest quality. Boards and
plank of great width without the sign of a knot and equal
to the best Michigan pine lumber of modern days, could be
easily had for cutting and sawing.
NAIL FACTORY.
It is said that, about eighty years ago, a small mill was
erected on the small stream that crosses the North Road
near the residence of the late Jonathan Currier, for the pur-
pose of making wrought iron nails. The mill, which was
furnished with a trip hammer is said to have stood over a
fall in the stream near the north side of the highway. The
most of the nails which were used a hundred years ago or
later were made mostly by hand. When nails were cut
rapidly by machinery, wrought iron nails disappeared.
HAT MANUFACTORY.
About the year 18 14, wool hats were made by a man
named Langmaid who lived at the Corner.
In 1824, the business of braiding summer hats from pop-
lar wood was introduced into the town and a considerable
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 279
number of the women were employed a part of the time in
braiding hats of this kind two or three years.
In 18*26, the business of making a much superior quality
of hats from palm leaf was commenced and for more than
twenty years a majority of the women in the town were
employed in this industry. The traders supplied the palm
leaf and bought the hats, paying for them in goods from
their stores.
The hats, after being pressed, were taken to Boston and
sold to the wholesale dealers who shipped them to the
South and West, the West Indies and other countries.
SADDLERS AND HARNESS MAKERS.
John Robie who lived many years on High Street near
the Corner, Robert Moore who came from Pembroke and
lived in the Village and Sargent Currier who lived at East
Candia.
PICKING AND SELLING BLUEBERRIES.
Previous to the year 1840, there were but few blueberries
or whortleberries, commonly called huckleberries, in the
fields or pastures in the town. Before that time many of the
families in Candia were supplied with this kind of fruit by
the Hartfords and other people of Allenstown where they
were very abundant. Soon after 1840, high blueberry bush-
es began to grow in the pastures near the Corner, in the
South Road district, the Colcord district, High Street and
other quarters of the town, and, as early as 1855 there was
a super-abundance of this kind of fruit, and parties of men
and women often came up to the town from Portsmouth
and other places on the sea coast and returned with their
baskets full of berries. Sometime previous to i860 the far-
mers allowed people to enter their pastures and pick all the
berries they wanted, but at length some of their wives and
daughter? discovered that they could make a nice sum of
money by picking the berries and selling them at Man-
chester; and it soon became evident to the most stupid of
the farmers that a pasture where thousands of boxes of blue-
280 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
berries were annually grown, was as valuable as an or-
chard of a hundred full bearing apple trees or large fields
of corn and wheat. Notices like the following were ac-
cordingly posted every year in many of the blueberry pas-
tures : "All persons are hereby forbidden to trespass on
these grounds."
During the past thirty years the blueberry bushes have
beer spreading and the business of picking the fruit has be-
come an important industry in the town and hundreds of
crates are annually sent by railroad to Manchester, Boston,
Lowell and other places. Many of the women who were,
expert in the business of picking are said to have earned
twenty dollars a season. Some of the girls and boys have
earned in this way from nine to twelve dollars and depos-
ited it in the savings bank.
CATCHING PIGEONS.
Previous to 1840, vast flocks of wild pigeons came in the
spring of the year for breeding and remained until late in
the autumn. In every part of the town "the woods were
full of 'um." During the entire season great flocks of
these birds were seen flying in all directions and it was
said that they sometimes flew down near to the ocean and
returned the* same day. When these great companies of
pigeons were seen flying in big flocks, the beating of their
wings against the air produced a sound like thunder or the
roar of a great tempest. Sometimes the farmers were much
annoyed by their attacks upon the ripened fields of wheat
and rye. A considerable number of the farmers from the
earliest days after the settlement of the town were in the
habit of catching large numbers of pigeons with nets for
their own use or for sale in the large towns and cities. The
first thing to be done in this line was to make a pigeon bed
in some pasture or field at some distance from the dwelling
house. The turf on a patch of ground a dozen or fifteen
feet square was removed, the ground was made smooth
and thinly covered with grains of wheat or rye. Four
or five perpendicular poles, 4and as many horizontal poles
were erected on each side of the bed for the pigeons to
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 28 1
alight upon As the pig-eons fly along through the air some
of them will take a glance at the bed and halt long enough
to get a good luncheon. When they return to their fellows
they will tell them in some way of their good fortune and
pilot them to a feast they have enjoyed. Other groups of
pigeons are in the same way piloted to the beds and in a
few days the poles begin to swarm with them.
The pigeon net is placed upon the bed concealed from
the sight and when the pigeons are busy taking their food,
the operator in a booth or bough-house springs the net and
so completely covered them that but few escape. Most
generally the pigeons were killed on the spot by pinching
their heads but sometimes were taken alive to a great pen
in the barn where they were fattened so as to make them
bring a good price in the market.
This business greatly flourished for awhile, but the pig-
eons grew scarcer and scarcer in New England, and now a
pigeon is a rare bird in Candia, while vast numbers are
found in the West.
CHAPTER XXV.
STORES, POST OFFICES, ETC.
But little is known of the stores in the town previous to
about the year 1780. It is probable that before that time
the people procured their supplies of foreign goods of all
kinds in Chester, Newbury, Newburyport, Salem or Ports-
mouth, in exchange for their lumber or products raised up-
on their farms.
STORES AT THE CORNER.
Major Samuel Mooers, jr., no doubt established the first
regular store in Candia in a building at the Corner which
stood on Lot No. 69 near the present residence of Henry W.
Moore, Esq. The store was opened sometime prior to
1780. Major Mooers, after the death of his father, came in-
to possession of his farm. He remained m business until
about the year 1800, when he sold the farm to David Pills-
bury and removed to Maine.
Jonathan Pillsbury kept a store at or near the Corner as
early as 1783. John Lane credits Mr. Pillsbury with hav-
ing sold him coffee, tea and other goods from 1783, to
•1786.
About the year 1792, John Wason came from Chester and
established a store at the Corner, in a building which stood
on the spot where Moore's Hall is now located.
In 1798, William Duncan, who came from Londondery,
established a store in a building which was situated at the
Corner near Moore's hall. He was a very successful trad-
er at that place until 1803, when he sold out the business to
David Pillsbury, and agreed that he would not set up an-
other store in town within a distance of one mile from the
Corner. Mr. Pillsbury, assisted by his son Benjamin, kept
a store in the house now owned by Mr. Seward for several
years.
282
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 283
Nathaniel B. Griffin was the next trader at theCorneT and
he occupied the building which, was previously owned by
William Duncan. He retired from the business sometime
previous to 1821.
About the year 1820, John Sargent, a son of Jacob Sar-
gent, and Andrew Moore, a son of Joshua Moore, erected
the building which is now occupied by the Rockingham
Lodge of Free Masons and kept a store in the first story
under the firm name of Moore and Sargent. The firm trad-
ed at that store until 183 1, when they retired.
John Moore, 3d., son of Andrew Moore, and his brother-
in-law Enoch Coffin, were the successors of Moore and
Sargent, and traded at the Corner about three years.
Henry M. Eaton succeeded Moore and Coffin and kept a
store in which is now the Masonic building until 1853, a
period of fourteen years.
When Henry M. Eaton retired, John K. Nay traded in the
store he had vacated, a year or two.
Samuel Addison Sargent, who came from Chichester was
a very popular clerk for William Duncan several years. In
1830, Mr. Duncan and Mr. Sargent formed a copartnership
styled S. A. Sargent &. Co., for the purpose of trading at the
Corner. Mr. Duncan was a wealthy man and stood high
in the esteem of the wholesale merchants in Boston and
became responsible for ajl the goods which Sargent, the
active manager of the concern, chose to purchase on credit.
The old store at the Corner, which Mr. Duncan vacated in
1803, was repaired and Sargent bought a great stock of
various kinds of goods. A large amount of business was
done at the store for about six years, when it turned out
that Sargent had so conducted affairs that the firm was
heavily in debt and was obliged to suspend operations.
Mr. Duncan was all the while attending to the business of
his store on the South Road and, therefore, knew but little
of the management of the store at the Corner. Atter the
failure of the firm at the Corner, Sargent went West and
the goods which he left unsold were taken to Mr. Duncan's
store. Mr. Duncan, after settling with the creditors of
Sargent & Co., found that he had lost about $40,000 in the
enterprise.
284 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
After Addison Sargent retired, William Turner became
the owner of the building he had occupied and added to it
another story. Sullivan Turner his son and Shepard
James of Raymond traded in company two or three years.
The second story of the building was fitted up for tene-
ments and Mrs. Thomas Colby and others were residents
there a number of years. After the retirement of Turner
& James, the building was moved to the spot where the
Methodist church is now located, and John Turner, another
son of William Turner, traded there a few months, when
the building was moved to the Depot Village and made
into a dwelling house. John Rowe has been the owner
and occupant of the house many years.
STORES OX HIGH STREET.
Moses Fitts, who in his early days was afflicted with
rheumatism, commenced trading near his father's residence
on the place now owned by the widow of the late Dr.
Page. It is said that his father furnished him with a small
stock of pins, needles, tape, &c. The venture was success-
ful, other stocks of goods were purchased from time to
time and soon he had a flourishing business. About the.
year 1795, he built the large gambrel roofed house which is
now the residence of John S. Patten and traded in one end of
it a few years and then put up a large and convenient store
adjoining the house. Peter Eaton assisted him as clerk a
considerable length of time. About the year 1823, his son
Frederick was admitted as partner and was finally sole
proprietor. At his death, in 1837, Thomas Wheat and
Frederick Smyth bought out the goods and traded in the
store about two years when they retired and went to Man-
chester. The store was taken down more than twenty
years ago.
Peter Eaton built a store near the old Congregational
meeting house and commenced trading about the year
181 2. In 1835, he removed to Concord and resided there a
few years. During his absence Charles Edwin Eaton took
the store and traded three or four years when he removed
to Ohio. Peter Eaton at length returned to Candia and
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 285
resumed business at the old stand. Mr. Eaton was quite
successful as a trader. He was a good farmer and carried
on the business of manufacturing barrels for the Newbury-
port market. In 1852, he removed to Manchester and his
store was taken down and converted into tenements in that
city.
In 1S35, Asa Fitts commenced trading on the north side
of Hieh Street a few rods west of the residence of Frank
Hall in a building which was erected by John Emerson for
a carpenter's shop. He traded there three or four years
when he became embarrassed and failed. His goods were
placed in the hands of John Moore, Esq., who was ap-
pointed assignee.
In 1830, Joseph French and Amos Pillsbury setup a store
on the north side of the west end of High Street and near
the present residence of Matthew Cate. The firm traded
there two or three years when they retired and the building
was moved over to the opposite side of the street and is
now the residence of George W. Towns.
About the year 1831, Aaron Brown and Nehemiah Brown
opened a store a few years in a part of the dwelling house
of the former which is now the residence of his son George
H. Brown and traded several years.
STORES ON NORTH ROAD.
Jonathan Rowe. a son of Isaiah Rowe, kept a store on
North Road in a part of his residence, which was built by
his brother Nathaniel Rowe and stood on the south side of
the highway about fifty rods west of the present residence
of James Brown. He kept a good assortment of goods
and traded there about a dozen years, beginning about the
year 1791.
Nathan Fitts, about the year 18 13, bought the Worthen
place on North Road which is now owned by Dea. Charles
R. Rowe. He was a blacksmith and built a large shop on
the south side of the road. He soon afterward fitted up the
shop for a store and traded there until 1821, when he sold
the place to Joshua Lane and left town.
\
286 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
STORES ON THE SOUTH ROAD.
William Duncan, soon after he sold out his business at
the Corner, in 1803,- erected a large dwelling house on the
place now owned by George Brown on the South Road.
He established a store in a part of the house and traded there
a few years, when he put up a large two-story building to
accommodate his constantly increasing trade. He was a
very sagacious and enterprising man and, a short time be-
fore the year 1812, he was confident that a war between the
United States and Great Britain was imminent and that, as
a consequence, the commerce of the country would be ru-
ined. With this view, he bought in Boston very large
quantities of foreign goods and a large stock of costly
wines, brandies and other foreign liquors. He stored the
liquors in Boston and waited for events. When the war
between the two countries became an established fact, the
price of the goods and liquors rose to a high figure, as every
American merchant ship was liable to be captured by the
war vessels of the enemy. In the course of a year or two
Mr. Duncan sold the great stock of goods at a great profit.
He cleared about $30,000 upon the liquors alone without
moving them from the place where they were stored in
Boston. For many years he kept the largest and finest
stock of goods which could be found in the west part of
Rockingham county. His stock of drugs and medicines
was especially large and varied. Mr. Duncan was well
instructed in the art of compounding medicines and one
large room was wholly devoted to this branch of the busi-
ness.
There were no patent Fairbank's Scales in those days and
all heavy goods were weighed with cast-iron weights and
the boys and young men were sometimes allowed to go
into the back store to see how many fifty-six pound weights
they could lift from the floor.
All the traders in town exchanged their goods for butter,
cheese, eggs and other farm products. Many persons can
still remember how the butter, which was brought to Mr.
Duncan's store, was dumped into a great tub in the cellar
through the counter by a large spout that was covered by
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 287
a trap door. When a large amount of butter had accumu-
lated in the tub, a woman was employed to make it up into
balls and otherwise put it in order to be sent to market in
Boston. Seventy years ago linen cloth, woven by the
wives and daughters of farmers was also taken by Mr.
Duncan in exchange for goods.
He employed a considerable number of coopers and
bought large quantities of staves, hoop-poles and pine
boards for the making of fish barrels. He also bought
large quantities of wood ashes for making potash. He
was an excellent farmer, had large tracts of land and kept
a large stock of cattle. His fields were constantly enriched
by great loads of leached ashes from his potash works and
very heavy crops of grass were raised every year. His
great gambrel roofed dwelling-house, his shops, barns and
other out-buildings made an imposing appearance in those
days. Mr. Duncan died in 1849, anc^ his real and personal
property was valued at $15,000 clear of all indebtedness.
After the Concord and Portsmouth Railroad was finished
Charles E. Smith, a brother of Edmund Smith, erected a
building on the west side of the highway at Cass' Crossing
for the accommodation of a number of citizens who wished
to establish a Protective Union store in that quarter. George
Sargent a son of Josiah Sargent, was appointed agent of the
store. After the store had been kept a year or two, Samuel
B. Robie and his brother Levi J. Robie, bought out the
stockholders and traded there a year or two, when Levi J.
sold out his interest to his brother who soon after erected a
two-story building on the east side of the highway, and
traded there about four years. He then sold out to Levi
Sanborn, who traded there a short time and then retired.
STORES AT EAST CANDIA.
About the year 18 18, Abel Follansbee kept a store in
the Laneford district at East Candia. He traded there a
few years and then removed to Newmarket where he died
in 1826. Joseph C. Langford was the next trader in that
district. He traded a few years when he was succeeded
288
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
by Cotton Ward, who traded two or three /ears when he
went to Maine.
Stephen B. Fitts traded sometime near the residence of his'
brother, Monroe Fitts, until the completion of the Concord
Railroad in 1852, when he removed to the Depot Village.
Addison Bean, son of David Bean, traded four or five
years near the residence of Hiram Clifford on the south side
of the street, when he removed to Raymond.
Cotton Ward returned from Maine and bought the eoods
in Addison Bean's store and moved them into a small build-
ing a few rods east of the residence of Monroe Fitts.
Sargent Currier, who came from Amesbury, Mass.,
bought out the goods in Cotton Ward's store and traded a
year or two.
Levi Dearborn and Frank P. Brown established the next
store in the district and were in company a short time,
when they dissolved and Mr. Dearborn started a new store
at the west end of the village. After trading there a year
or two, Mr. Dearborn sold out to Frank P. Brown, who has
kept the store until the present time.
In 1824, David Bean established a store near his resi-
dence at the Island and traded there about five years.
STORES AT THE DEPOT VILLAGE.
In 1852, Abraham Emerson, Coffin Moore, Rufus Patten
and various other citizens of the town formed a co-partner-
ship and erected the building now occupied by Charles S.
Lang the trader, and established a Protective Union Store ;
Coffin Moore was agent. After trading a few years the
company sold the store and goods to Edward P. Prescott
and J. Harvey Philbrick, who came from Deerfield. Pres-
cott & Philbrick traded together a year or two, when Mr.
Philbrick sold his interest to Moses B. Smith, a son of
Capt. John Smith and the son-in-law of Mr. Prescott.
Prescott & Smith occupied the store two years, when they
sold out to Wm. D. Ladd of Deerfield and Jacob L. Bar-
ker of Candia, who bought a building on the east side of
the street, where they traded a year or two, and then Ladd
CHARLES F. MORRILL.
Sketch, page 512.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 289
retired from the business. Mr. Barker traded until 1878,
when the store and contents were destroyed by fire.
After Ladd & Barker vacated the old Protective Union
Store on the west side of the street, Frank A. Langford and
a Mr. Ray opened a store in the building and traded there
a short b'me when they sold out to Oilman S. Lang who
kept the store several years. At his death, his son Charles
S. Lang, the present proprietor succeeded him.
In 1885, Frank P. Brown, who had been appointed post-
master at the Depot Village, built a new building there and
established a store and post office therein. When his term
as postmaster expired, he sold the store to Mark A. Dexter,
the present proprietor, who came from Hillsborough.
POST OFFICES, POST-MASTERS, ETC.
There were no post offices in New Hampshire previous
to the war of the Revolution. Letters were sent from one
place to another by special messengers or by persons who
traveled to the places where the friends of the writers resid-
ed. In 1786, the legislature of New Hampshire established
post ofhces in the state, and letters and newspapers were
carried in large saddle bags on horseback. One of the
first routes extended from Portsmouth or Exeter to Concord,
passing through Brentwood, Newmarket, Poplin, Raymond,
Candia, South Deerfield and Allenstown once a week each
way. When the Chester Turnpike was built, in 1805, the
mail from Concord to the southeastern section of the state
was carried by stages, passing through Pembroke. Hook
sett, Candia, Chester, Hampstead and other towns in the-
vicinity. .The postage for single letters was a sixpence
for forty miles and fourpence for any less distance. The
first post offices which were established by the Federal
Government were at Concord, Portsmouth and a few other
large towns, and people of the small adjoining towns were
obliged to receive their letters from these post offices. Dur-
ing the year 1809, the letters for many of the towns in the
vicinity of Concord were advertised in the New Hamp-
shire Patriot.
19
29O HISTORY OF CAXDIA.
The first post office in Candia was established in the year
1 81 8, and "Master" Moses Fitts was appointed postmas-
ter. He kept the office in the store adjoining his residence.
He held the office until 1822, when Benjamin Pillsbury,
who lived at the Corner in the present residence of Henry
W. Moore, was appointed. He kept the office in one of
the rooms of the house until his death, in 1835. He was
succeeded by Benjamin Pillsbury Colby, who lived in what
is now the residence of Edward Morrison. Mr. Colby was
postmaster until 1840, when he was succeeded by William
Turner, who then lived in the Benjamin Pillsbury Mansion.
Mr. Turner, who was a Democrat, was postmaster until
1845, when he was removed and Henry M. Eaton, who
was a Whig and supported the administration of President
Tyler, was appointed. He kept the office in his store at
the Corner until 1847, when Mr. Turner, whosupported the
administration of President Polk, was re-appointed through
the influence of Hon. Levi Woodbury, who made a speech
at a Democratic meeting at the Village about that
time.
In 1849, Gen. Zachary Taylor was elected President by
the Whig party, and, in 1850, Mr. Turner was again re-
moved and Henry M. Eaton was re- appointed postmaster.
He held the office until 1855, when he was succeeded by
Stephen B. Fitts, a Democrat. Mr. Fitts established the of-
fice in the store at the Depot Village now occupied by
Charles S. Lang andwas postmaster until 1857, when Robie
Smith succeeded him. Mr. Smith was postmaster at the
Depot Village until his death, in 1862. His widow Hannah
P. Smith was appointed his successor and held the position
until 1866. Jacob S. Barker of the firm of Ladd & Barker
succeeded Mrs. Smith and established the office in his store
which then stood on the east side of the highway at the De-
pot Village until 1870, when he was succeeded by John
Rowe who' was postmaster about one year. The next
postmaster at the Depot Village was Gilman C. Lang who
was appointed in 1871. He was a Republican and kept
the office in his store on the south side of the railroad track
until 1885 when he was succeeded by Frank P. Brown, a
Democrat. In 1889 the Republican party again came into
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 29 I
power and Mr. Brown was removed and succeeded by Mr.
Willard G. Lang, the present incumbent.
In 1830, Thomas Anderson, who lived near the old An-
derson tavern on the Turnpike was appointed postmaster
mainly, it was thought, for the purpose of receiving the
mail matter for Candia which came to the town by stages
at that point. He continued in the office until 1841 when
the office was discontinued. Mr. Anderson took much
pains in delivering the mail to the people who lived in oth-
er parts of the town. When he attended meeting on bun-
day at the Congregational church he generally carried
many letters and large quantities of newspapers for deliv-
ery at intermission time in a part of the entry.
In 1835, a post office was established near the extreme
upper end of the North Road, and Elijah Smith was ap-
pointed postmaster. The office was abolished in 1842. It
is not probable that either Mr. Smith or Mr. Anderson got
very rich from the profits of the offices they held.
In 1853, a post office was established at Candia Village
vnd Plumer W. Sanborn, a Democrat, was appointed post-
master. He kept the office in his store> and held the posi-
tion until 1861. Being a Democrat he was removed and W.
J. Dudley, a Republican, was appointed. In 1885, when Mr.
Cleveland was elected President, Mr. Dudley was removed
and George E. Mitchell, a Democrat, was appointed. In
1890, when the Republicans elected Mr. Harrison, Mr.
Mitchell was removed and Mr. Dudley was re-appointed.
Fifty years ago, the rate of postage on a letter was six,
ten, twelve and one half, and eighteen and three fourths,
and twenty-five cents, according to the distance. In 1845,
the postage on a letter was reduced to five, ten, fifteen and
twenty cents. There were other changes in the rates of
postage from time to time. Since about ten years ago, letters
have been carried to every part of the country for two cents
each.
THE SURPLUS REVENUE.
In 1836, there was a large surplus of revenue in the
Treasury of the United States, a large part of which accur-
292 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ed from the sale of the public lands. During the same
year, Congress voted to divide the surplus which amounted
to $37,468,859.97 among the several states of the Union, in
four equal instalments. For various reasons, only three
instalments were paid. New Hampshire received as its
share the sum of $669, 084,79 the first instalment of which
was paid January 1, the second, April 1, and the th:rd,
October, 1837.
The act of Congress provided that the money so divided
among the states should be safely kept and repaid when
ever the Government called for it. The Legislature of New
Hampshire in November, 1836, passed an act authorizing
the State Treasurer to receive the funds and give a certifi-
cate that it should be kept in accordance with the law of
Congress. The Legislature also passed an act pointing out
the way and manner in which the money should be depos-
ited with several towns in the State. The towns were to
receive it when they had voted to take it, had pledged
their faith to keep and repay it when called for, and had
appointed an agent to receive it and execute a certificate
of deposit. At the annual town meeting inCandia in 1837,
it was voted to take its share of the money on the condi-
tions stated and Samuel Anderson was chosen agent to re-
ceive it from the State Treasurer. Mr. Anderson received
at various times three instalments of the money of $1, 105.95
each, amounting to $3,317.85. The town voted to expend
the money so received in paying its debt. The fourth in-
stalment was never paid from the United States Treasurer
to the State for the reason, as was stated, that the amount
of revenue received from the sale of the public lands be-
came greatly reduced.
It is said that no papers can be found in the office of the
Secretary of State or the State Treasurer at Concord relat-
ing to the different transactions concerning the surplus rev-
enue.
It was suspected that Zenas Clement State Treasurer at the
time, wishing to prevent the towns from ever being call-
ed upon to repay the money hid or destroyed the rec-
ords.
The United States Government has not hitherto called
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 293
upon the States to refund the surplus revenue and are not
likely to do so in the future.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
The following are the names of the citizens of the town
who have been appointed Justices of the Peace. A few
were authorized to officiate in the C unty or State as well as
in the town. Among the first Justices of the Peace, were
Samuel Mooers, Samuel Morrill, Walter Robie, Nathaniel
Emerson, John Lane, seinior, Daniel Fitts, Benjamin
Pillsbury, John Taylor, Henry Eaton, Moses Bean, John
Lane, jr.
The following are the names of the Justices who were
appointed for the first time between the years 1830 and
1840 :
Daniel Fitts, jr., Jonathan Martin, Abraham Emerson,
Rufus E. Patten, Joseph Richardson, Samuel Tuck, Jona-
than Currier, William Turner, Joseph C. Langford, Lowell
B. French, John Moore.
The following named citizens were appointed Justices of
the Peace for the first time between the years 1840 and
1850:
Leonard Dearborn, Isaiah Lane, David Bean, Samuel
Dudley, Samuel Cass, Henry M. Eaton, Nehemiah Colby,
David P. Rowe, Stephen B. Tilton.
The following are the names of citizens who were ap-
pointed between 1850 and i860 :
Pillsbury Colby, Moses F. French, Edmund Hill, John
Smith, Joshua Lane, Plumer W. Sanborn, J. Harvey Phil-
brick, Carr B. Haines, Cyrus T. Lane, John Rowe, John G.
Lane, William Crane, David M. Batchelder, Thomas
Lang, Edward P. Prescott, Moses T. Emerson, Dana D.
Thresher.
Between the years i860 and 1870, the following citizens
were appointed :
Moses B. Smith, Levi Bean, Wm. W. Neal, John Lane
Fitts, Woodbury J. Dudley, Charles H. Robinson, Josiah
Richardson, Oilman Lang.
294 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Between the years 1870 and 1890, the following citizens-
have been appointed :
Cotton Ward, Jesse R. Fitts, E. R. Ingalls, F. P. Langford,
J. C. Hobbs, Henry W. Moore, Ingalls Bunker, Frank W.
Eaton, George F. Cass, F. P. Brown, J. H. Nutting, John
Holt.
Many of those who were appointed Justices of the Peace,
held the office many years. It is probable that the names
of some of those who were appointed have been overlook-
ed and do not appear in the above list.
From fifty to seventy years ago, there was considerable
litigation among the people of the town and suits which
did not involve a large amount, were often tried before Jus-
tices of the Peace. A large number of cases were brought
before John Lane, Esq., who lived on the North Road..
There was no lawyer in the town but the plaintiffs and de-
fendants employed Judge Butler, Josiah Houghton, Ira St.
Clair or H. Cilley, jr., Deerfield to conduct their cases. Im-
portant suits against parties always attracted a large crowd
of spectators. In later days, cases have been tried before
justices now living, and lawyers from Manchester have
appeared upon one side or the other.
THE CENSUS.
The following is the official statement of the
number of
persons
there were in the town at the various
ti:
mes spe-
cified :
1767
-
-
362
1773
-
663:
1775
-
-
744-
1783
9
935
1786
-
982
1790
------
1040
1800
-
-
1 186
1810
-
1290
1820
-
-
1283
1830
-
1362
1840
-
-
1430
1850
-
1482
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 295
i860 ._---. 1482
187O ----- 1575
1880 - - - - • - 134O
189O - - - I 108
The census of the town for the year 1850, was taken by
Francis B. Eaton ; that for 1880, by John Rowe, and that
for the year 1890, by A. Frank Patten. It will be seen that
the largest population the town ever had was in 1870, and
that at present time, the population is less than it was in
1800.
ADDITIONAL NOTES PERTAINING TO ROADS.
In Chapter VI of this work, it was stated that the first
roads in the town were laid out while the territory was a
parish of Chester. Some of the earliest of those roads were
at first mere paths, leading from the dwelling of one settler
to that of another in the shortest and most convenient
manner. In a short time, some of the paths became per-
manent highways before the selectmen of Chester had laid
them out in a formal and legal manner. In this way some
of the roads in the southeastly and southwesterly parts of
the town were made crooked and irregular. When the]Third
Division or northerly part of the town was surveyed, strips
of land extending in straight lines between the ranges or
tiers of lots through the length and breadth of the Division
and crossing each other at right angles were reserved for
highways. When the roads were formally laid out by the
selectmen, it was found that, in some cases, it was neces-
sary to deviate from straight lines on account of steep hills.
ponds, swamps or deep valleys which were situated on the
route.
The crook in High Street between the Congregational
meeting house and the valley twenty or thirty rods west of
the residence of Mrs. Ansel Emerson was made to avoid
the steep pitch of the hill to the valley referred to.
At a point a few rods east of the residence of Charles R.
Rowe, on the North Road, a turn in the highway towards
the northwest until it intersected with the New Boston
road near the residence of the late Jesse R. Fitts was made
296 HTSTORY OF CANDIA.
on account of the deep valley and the mill pond which are
situated on a straight line from Healey's Corner to Hook-
sett line.
The road from the Corner to Raymond line was turned
towards the northeast near the William Towle place be-
cause of the hills and ledges which are situated on a straight
line between the two points
The road from the Corner to Deerfield was turned towards
the east on entering the Village to avoid the mill pond and
ledges whieh are situated on a straight line between those
points.
The Burpee road was not extended east of the place
where it intersects with the road which leads from the Cor-
ner to Deerfield because of the unfavorable nature of the
land.
The north end of the cross road from the Con^reo-ational
o o
church towards Deerfield line was not built beyond the
New Boston road because it was not needed for the accom-
modation of the people.
About a mile and a half of the west end of the Baker
road that was laid out to extend to Hooksett line and about
two miles of the south end of the cross road that was laid out
to extend from Deerfield line across High Street to Auburn
line was. never constructed.
About a hundred years ago there were three families liv -
ing on the Baker road viz : Levi Cass/s, Caleb Brown's and
Stephen Marden's. For nearly twenty years past there
have been no buildings or residences on that road which
is now practically, though not legally, discontinued.
The west end of High Street about half a mile in length
was never built beyond J. P. L. Rowe's Corner, as was
originally designed.
The Libbee Road that was laid out to extend from the
South Road to Hooksett line was never built beyond the
road which extends in a southerly direction from the said
Libbee Road to the Turnpike.
The following roads have been discontinued :
The road which extended from the School house in East
Candia to Bean's Island, the road that extended from a
point near the residence of John Taylor, deceased, to the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2g7
road on which is situated the residence of Stephen Colcord
and the widow of Col. John Prescott and a short piece
of road which extended from the "clay pits" that were sit-
uated about a hundred rods west of the residence of A.
Frank Patten to the residence of the late Col. Samuel Cass.
The latter road was discontinued more than one hundred
years ago.
In the year 1810, a road was laid out from a point near
the residence of the late Charles S. Emerson to a large tract
of land which was situated near the west side of Patten's
Hill and owned by William Duncan. The road was never
built.
In 1 S39, a year or two after Manchester became a flour-
ishing manufacturing town, a road was built between the
School house in District No. 3, to the Turnpike near Ander-
son's tavern to shorten the distance between Candia and
that place.
In 1852, several citizens of the Village and Deerfield pre-
sented a petition to the County Commissioners for a new road
from the Depot Village to a point on the South Road near
the School house in District No. 3, to shorten the distance
between Candia and Manchester. At the same time a vig-
orous effort was made by some of the citizens of Candia
who lived in other sections of the town to induce the Com-
missioners to lay out a road from the Corner in a straight
line to a point on the South Road near the residence of
Austin Cass ; but the Commissioners decided in favor of
the more southerly route.
About the year 1840, a new road was laid out from the
residence of George H. Brown on High Street, to a point
on the Turnpike near the School house. This has been
called the Doniphan road from the circumstance that a Mr-
Doniphan was the first resident on that road.
When the first settlements were made in the town, the
land that was reserved for roads was covered with a thick
growth of wood and timber and it was many years before
all the laree trees and underbrush were removed. As late
as 1824, there was quite a heavy growth of birch and ma-
ple trees on the south side of High Street, a few rods east
of the residence of G. S. Wallace and there were many sin-
298 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
gle old growth white oak and birch trees scattered over
the sides of the North Road and other highways in the town.
About the year 1866, some of the citizens who lived in
the southwest part of the town, and in the northwest
part of Auburn endeavored to have a new road to Man-
chester laid out from Deerfield South Road to Manchester
across the Turnpike near the School house in School
District No. 13. After several trials and much opposition,
the scheme was abandoned.
The town, soon after it was incorporated, was divided
into districts that increased in number from time to time,
until about the year 1890 there were thirty-one highway
districts and the work of repairing the roads in each district
was placed under the supervision of a surveyor who was
chosen at the annual town meeting. For many years the
citizens in the several highway districts have been assessed
a highway tax which has been levied according to the polls
and estate in each district. The tax has been paid in mon-
ey or labor as each citizen prefers. The work upon the
roads was formerly done during the first part of the
month of June, and when all the able bodied men and
stout boys were assembled together upon a defective sec-
tion of the road they had a jolly good time in telling funny
stories and cracking jokes upon one another, or in talking
about the extraordinary events of the times.
A few years ago, a road machine was purchased by the
town and operated successfully upon all the highway dis-
tricts. Since the machine was procured the roads have been
greatly improved, and now few towns in the state can boast
of better roads than those in Candia. During the past one
hundred years, a very great amount of labor has been ex-
pended in removing the boulders in the road beds, in lev-
eling the hills and filling up the valleys.
Before the year 1800, the most of the traveling in the
narrow and imperfect roads was done on horseback. Men
rode on common saddles, and women were provided with
side saddles. A man and his wife frequently rode upon
one horse, he in the saddle and she sitting upon the pil-
lion, or cushion behind him. Sometimes the woman car-
infant in her arms while her husband carried a
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 2 99
child two or three years old before him on the pommel of
the saddle. Small bundles, containing bottles, jugs, par-
cels of tea or sugar and various other artrcles were carried
in saddle-bags slung over the back of the horse. Bags of
corn and grain were carried to mill in this way, one-half of
the contents of the bag being placed in one end, and the
other half in the other end. In extreme cases, larger and
heavier articles were carried on horse back. Many of the
people rode in this manner to meeting on Sundays. Horse-
blocks, so called, consisting sometimes of a sort of a bench
about three feet high were provided near the church or the
store to accommodate the riders in mounting and dis-
mouting from their horses. A large horse block of this
kind fitted with stairs, stood for many years close to the
west end of the Congregational meeting house on the north
side of the steeple. When wagons and chaises were intro-
duced the women rode on horseback less frequently,
but as late as 1830, some women might have been seer
riding at a smart canter up and down the hills of the town.
The first vehicles used by the early settlers were called
jumpers. Two hard wood poles about two and a half
inches in diameter and ten feet long were fastened togeth-
er about two feet and a half apart like the shafts or
thills of a wagon. The forward ends of the poles were at-
tached to the horse. When this kind of vehicle was used,
the rear ends of the poles were dragged upon the ground.
A barrel of cider or goods of any kind when strapped to
the shafts, could be easily conveyed from one place to an-
other. It is said that during the first few years after the
town was settled, the bodies of deceased persons, were, in
some instances carried to the old cemetery on a vehicle
resembling the jumper.
The Rev. Dr. Bouton, in his history of Concord, relates
that Ebenezer Eastman, soon after settling in Pennacook,
now Concord, made a journey to Haverhill. Mass., on
horseback and purchased a barrel of molasses with the
intention of taking it home with him. He made a jumper
and lashed the barrel of molasses upon the shafts and
started on his journey homeward along the path through
the wilderness upon a course through old Chester and near
300 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
to the line of the old Turnpike. He got along well enough
until he had arrived within a short distance of his home.
On climbing a steep hill, the rigging of his vehicle gave
way, the barrel rolled swiftly down the hill and was dash-
ed in pieces against a tree, the molasses overspreading and
sweetening the ground in all directions. The Captain, in
viewr of this calamity, sorrowfully exclaimed, "Oh dear! my
wife will comb my head and harrow it, too!"
Rude two-wheeled carts and ox wagons came into use
several vears later. The first lisdit one-horse wag-ons were
introduced into Candia about the year 1812. It is said that
the first chaises were brought into the town about the year
1805. The first had square tops. Nathaniel Rowe and
Col. Samuel Cass had chaises of this kind. A few years
afterwards, a handsome and better kind of chaise with bel-
lows tops came into use. In 1832, there were more than a
dozen chaises in town. The following are the names of
some of the owners : Peter Eaton, Moses Fitts, William
Duncan, William Robie, Benjamin Pillsbury, John C.
Fifield, Nathan Brown, Moses Sargent, Henry Eaton, Wal-
ter Robie, John Taylor, Daniel Fitts, Moses Bean, Samuel
Anderson.
LAW SUITS.
Until within a few years, the town has not been called
upon to pay any considerable sum for injuries to persons
or property on account of any defects in the highways, but
one day during the summer of 1867, Mrs. Saltmarsh, wife
of Henry Saltmarsh, who was then depot master at Au-
burn, and her daughter, Mrs. Eliza Sanford, of Boston,
while returning from a visit to relatives at Rowe's Corner
in Hooksett to Mrs. Saltmarsh's home in Auburn, were
thrown from a wagon and considerably injured. They
went down the old Chester Turn .ike, and when they had
arrived at a point, opposite the old Anderson tavern in Can-
dia, they made a short turn to the right to take the road to
Auburn. The grade was descending and the body of the
carriage was swayed over to one side, (but not over-turned)
and the occupants were thrown out violently upon the
HISTORY OF CAND1A. 3OI
around. It was claimed by the injured parties, that the
accident was caused by a hole in the road into which the
horse stepped and stumbled. On the other hand, the select-
men of Candia, and many others who were acquainted
with the premises claim that there was no hole there and
that there were no defects in the road whatever, but that
the accident was wholly caused by the carelessness of Mrs.
Sanford, the driver of the horse. Under these circum-
stances, they considered that the town was in no way re-
sponsible for the accident and refused to pay any damages
to the injured parties. Mrs. Saltmarsh and Mrs. Sanford
thereupon brought suits against the town for damages.
The selectmen of Candia appointed Henry M. Eaton an
agent to act for the town in opposing the claims of the
plaintiffs. The case of Mrs. Sanford was tried at a ses-
sion of the Supreme Court at Manchester. For the defence,
it was shown that there was a short piece of road which
connected the Turnpike with the Auburn road, and that it
is a down grade when passing from the former to the latter
road. Several members of the Anderson family testified
that they saw the carriage as it passed down and that it
was driven at a fair rate of speed without slacking in the
least when they turned short off into the Auburn road.
The result of this trial of the caseof Mrs. Sanford was
a verdict in favor of the town.
At that time it was provided by law that defeated parties
in a civil suit could have a second trial in review if they
demanded it. Mrs. Sanford' s case was tried a second time
and the town was again the victorious party.
The suit of Mrs. Saltmarsh was brought in Rockingham
county ; but before the time appointed for the trial, she
died. Her husband then brought the case to trial and the
jury brought in a verdict in his favor. The counsel for the
town of Candia, thereupon demanded a new trial, on the
ground that Mr. Saltmarsh had not been regularly and legally
appointed administrator of the estate of his deceased wife.
The question was brought before the full bench of judges,
who decided that the point was well taken and decided in
favor of the town. Mr. Saltmarsh then obtained a regular
appointment as administrator and demanded a new trial of
30 2 HISTORY OF CAVDIA.
the case. The case was accordingly tried a second time
and the jury returned a verdict in his favor, awarding- him
damages to the amount of $1,600.
The result of these trials was very damaging- to the in-
terests of the town. The damages awarded, the heavy
costs of court and counsel fees amounted to nearly $4,000.
It is understood that the costs of court which were paid
by Mr. Saltmarsh and Mrs. Sanford in the cases in which
they were the plaintiffs, and the fees of counsel, amounted
to a sum nearly equal to that which was finally awarded
to Mr. Saltmarsh by the jury in the last trial of his case.
Some of the citizens of Candia expressed the opinion that
the selectmen should have settled the case withtou a trial,
but when it is considered that they belived that there were
no defects in the highway, it would seem that their action
was just and reasonable.
In 1886, George E. Mitchell, while riding in a sleigh in
the highway at the Depot Village, was overturned and one
of his legs was broken. He claimed that the accident was
caused by a defect in the highway. The selectmen settled
with him by paying the sum of $800.
CHAPTER XXVI .
DEATHS BY SUICIDE, DEATHS BY ACCIDENT AND DEATHS
UNDER PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
DEATHS BY SUICIDE.
The following are the names of persons who have com-
mitted suicide in the town : Benjamin Bean, who resided
in the large house on the north side of the Colcord Road,
near the Village, killed himself by jumping into a well,
Dec. 6, 1839, aged 76.
Mrs. Susannah Smith, wife of Jonathan Smith, who re-
sided on the Raymond Road, about half a mile west of the
Island, destroyed herself by cutting her throat with a razor
September 18, 1830, aged 40.
Frederick Fitts, the trader, and son of Master Moses Fitts,
drowned himself in the river in the New Boston neighbor-
hood, Nov. 3, 1837, aged 35.
Jonathan Healey, who lived on the Langford Road,
drowned himself in a well, Oct. 20, 1846, aged 78,
John Hall, a son of Nathaniel B. Hall, killed himself at
Exeter by cutting his throat with a razor, Oct. 2, 1864,
aged 27.
Sarah Ann Rowe, a daughter, of Aaron Rowe, hanged
herself in a chamber, Dec. 17, 1868, aged 40.
Mrs. Ann Betsey Morrill, wife of Henry R. Morrill, and
daughter of Stephen Colcord, committed suicide at the
Haseltine House, at Manchester, by taking a dose of chlo-
ral, Dec. 23, 1874, aged 35.
William S. Brown, who lived at East Candia, near the
residence of Osgood Wason, hanged himself from a tree,
May 28, 1874, aged 69.
Thomas Bean,. who resided near the Corner, killed him-
self by cutting his throat with a razor. Aug. 30, 1874,
aged 68.
303
304 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Edmund B. Langley, who resided in the Luke Hall place
near the residence of Edmund Smith, committed suicide by
hanging himself to the limb of a tree, Aug. 5, 1874, aged
40.
ACCIDENTAL AND SUDDEN DEATHS.
In the winter of 1770, David McClure, one of the first set-
tlers in the town, while returning from a visit to his daugh-
ters who lived in Raymond, became bewildered in a snow
storm and died at the foot of a tree.
Jethro Hill, one of the first settlers on High Street, while
burning bushes upon a piece of land he was clearing up,
came in contact with the fire and was burned so badly that
he soon died.
Jeremiah Bean, one of the first settlers of the town and
a member of the first board of selectmen, was killed by be-
ing thrown from a horse, September 19, 1797. He lived in
the old Bean house on the hill on the Colcord road near the
Village, which, after his death, was owned by his son Ben-
jamin Bean.
Mrs. Mehitable Hill, the wife of the aforesaid Jethro Hill,
in a fit of insanity, wandered off into the fields upon a very
cold day in winter and was soon afterwards found dead in
the snow at a considerable distance from her home.
Richard Buswell, son of Samuel Buswell, one of the first
settlers, was drowned in a mill stream at Deerfield, in 1809.
Samuel Buswell, jr., another son of Samuel Buswell, sen-
ior, died suddenly in consequence of the breaking of a
blood vessel in his lungs, May 20, 181 1.
William Dolber, who lived on the Chester Road in School
District No. 4, while assisting in moving a barn for Elaezer
Knowles, who lived on the place now owned by William
Crane, situated on the South Road, suddenly fell down and
immediately expired, June 22, 17 16.
Samuel Hardy, while returning from a visit to Chester,
was frozen to death in the woods, Nov. 29, 181 9.
John Taylor, while driving an ox team down the hill on
the Colcord road near his residence, Oct. 20, 182 1, fell
PHILIP A. BUTLER.
Sketch, page 519.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 305
down and one of the wheels of the cart passed over his bo-
dy and he died immediately afterwards. He was 62 years old.
John Lane, the first of the name in Candia. died suddenly
of heart disease, March 12, 1822, aged 72.
Benjamin Healey. a man of unsound mind, who lived in
Raymond, while lodging- in a barn at East Candia, was
overcome with the cold and perished, Dec. 25, 1826.
Moses James, jr., son of Moses James, senior, who resid-
ed near Candia Corner, was drowned in Raymond, July 28,
1828, while attempting to swim across the Lamprey river.
He was 20 years of age.
Mrs. William Burleigh, who resided on the North Road,
died suddenly of heart disease, May 20, 1829. Her death
occurred while the funeral of the wife of Benjamin Hall was
taking place in the house the next west of the Burleigh
place, now owned by Dana Hall. When the people pass-
ed by the Burleigh house to attend the funeral of Mrs. Hall,
Mrs. Burleigh was apparently well, and when they return-
ed she was dead and laid out for burial. Elder Moses Bean
attended Mrs. Hall's funeral and preached from the words:
"Blessed and happy are they who have part in the first
resurrection, for over such, the second death hath no power. "
Malvina Palmer, a daughter of Joseph Palmer, who lived
in School District No. 4, was drowned while sliding on the
ice, Jan. 20, 1830, aged 9 years.
Walter Robie, who lived in School District No. 3, while
peeling bark in the woods, was killed by the fall of a tree,
June 26, 1832.
Mrs. Betsey Sargent, the second wife of Josiah Sargent,
was killed by being thrown from a carriage while descend-
ing the hill near the Congregational meeting house on re-
turning from church to her home on the South Road, Sun-
day, Nov. 2, 1833.
Capt. John Sargent, one of the early settlers of the town,
fell down and died suddenly of heart disease, Nov. 17,
1834, aged 88 years. He had made arrangements for mak-
ing a visit to Chester, on horseback. The horse was sad-
dled in the yard, and Capt. Sargent stood in the door ready
to mount when he was stricken down.
20
306 HISTORY OF CANDIA. •
Isaac Hall, son ot Caleb Hall, was killed by falling from
a house in Manchester, Jan. 21, 1839, aged 22.
Mrs. Mary Currier, vife of Emery Currier, was choked
to death by a piece of meat which lodged in her windpipe,
Dec. 17, 1844, aged 34.
Richard E. Lane, son of John Lane, Esq., died very sud-
denly of heart disease at Lewiston, N. Y., where he was
preceptor of an academy, in 1842, aged 29 years.
George Colby, son of Augustus Colby, while walking on
the top of a freight train, was killed by coming in contact
with a bridge over the railroad about half a mile below the
Depot Village, in 1851.
John Lane, Esq., died suddenly of heart disease, in his
barn, April 28, 185 1, aged 67.
George B. Sargent, son of S. Addison Sargent, was drown-
ed while bathing in the Merrimack river at Concord, July
17, 1855, aged 20.
John Dudley, a brother of the wife of Dea. Joseph Dud-
ley, while attending a political meeting at the Free Will
Baptist vestry, Jan. 10, 1856, dropped down suddenly and
died of heart disease, aged 55 years.
AlVin D. Buzzell, a son of Lewis and Sarah Buzzell, was
drowned, May 6, 1850, aged 3 years.
Thomas R. Bean, who lived in the house in the Village,
opposite W. J. Dudley's store, died suddenly of apoplexy,
in 1887.
Henry S. Eaton, son of Col. H. T. Eaton, died suddenly
of heart disease, at Piermont, Nov. 12, i860, aged 58 years.
When Capt. John Sargent dropped down dead of heart
disease, in 1834, Mr. Eaton, who resided opposite, assisted
in carrying his body into the house, exclaimed, "I hope
that when I die, I shall go in the same way that Capt. Sar-
gent has gone." His wishes were gratified.
Samuel N. Hubbard, a son of Benjamin Hubbard, while
unshackeling a locomotive engine from a railroad car at
Concord, was run over by a train and killed, Dec. 11, 1861,
aged 20 years.
Abel Wallace, son of Abraham Wallace, was drowned at
Haverhill, Mass., June 25, 1865, aged 19.
Moses Rowe, soon after returning from a visit to his
HISTORY OF CAXDIA. 307
brother Nathaniel Rowe, died suddenly of heart disease,
March 26, 1866, aged 72.
Clarissa Healey, for many years a housekeeper for
Jonathan Burpee, died suddenly of heart disease, Aug. 5.
1869, aged 75 years.
During a heavy thunder shower on July 17, 1876, the
lightning killed two cows belonging to Jeremiah Lane, who
lived on on the South Road. Mr. Lane became much ex-
cited on the occasion and died suddenly of heart disease,
aged 77.
Mrs. Silden Moore, formerly Sally Huntoon, died sud-
of heart disease while on a visit to her relatives at Franklin.
She was 71 years of cge.
Elmer Emerson, a son of Ansel Emerson, while sliding
on a pond, near the road that leads from High Street to the
North Road about seventy-five rods north of the Congrega-
tional church, was drowned, Aug. 23, 1877. He was about
twelve years old.
Rev. James Adams, while on a visit to Manchester, Dec.
10, 1 88 1, dropped dead in a store on Elm street. He was
74 years of age.
John Sargent, son of John Sargent, jr., and a grandson of
Col. H. T. Eaton, was found dead in his bed, Nov. 2, 1881.
J. Quincy Cass, a son of Col. Samuel Cass, was found
dead in his bed, Dec. 13, 1881. He had been troubled with
heart disease.
S. Freeman Rowe died suddenly of apoplexy, July 18,
1885. He was about 62 years of age.
Augustus Robbins died suddenly at the residence of Ro-
bert Clark, in 1890, while sitting at the table.
Joseph Young, who lived on the North Road, died sud-
denly of heart disease, in 1891.
On the morning of May 7, 1873, Catherine P. Harrison of
Raymond was found by the side of the Raymond road
about three-fourths of a mile below the Corner. She was a
woman of intemperate habits and the day before her death
she was seen near the Corner in the company of several
dissolute young men who belonged in the eastern part of
Candia. As it was suspected that the deceased had been
abused and injured by the said young men to such an ex-
308 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tent as to cause her death, an inquest was held at the
school house at East Candia before Dr. T. M. Gould of
Raymond, who then held the office of coroner. It appeared
that the woman had been drinking freely on the day before
her death and had become so intoxicated on her way to
her home in Raymond that, towards evening, she was
obliged to lie down in the highway. During the following
night a heavy rain storm came on and the gutter wherein
she was found became filled with water, and it was
thought she was drowned. The coroner's jury returned a
verdict to the effect that the young respondents were not
o-uilty of having committed any assault upon the woman,
and they were finally discharged. Miss Harrison was about
50 years old.
SMALL POX.
In the spring of 1835, small pox broke out in the family
of William Towle, sometimes jocosely called " Governor "
Towle, who lived at the intersection of the road to Ray-
mond and the Langford road. Mr. Towle was taken vio-
lently sick and Mr. Owen Reynolds and other neighbors
assisted in taking care of him. Mr. Towle died and soon
afterwards Mr. Reynolds and several members of his fami-
ly were taken down. Dr. Lane and Dr. Sargent attended
the patients and at length decided that they were afflicted
with small pox. When this announcement was made the
people of the town became greatly excited. The selectmen
took active measures to prevent the disease from spreading
and employed Dr. Luther V. Bell of Derry to take charge
of those who were sick. A large number of the people of
the town were vaccinated under his direction. An investiga-
tion showed that a short time before the disease broke out
a bundle containing a quantity of clothing which had be-
longed to a man who had died ot small pox was sent from
New York to Mr. Andrew Moore and that the clothes were
presented to Mr. Towle. Soon after the clothes had been
worn by Mr. Towle he became infected with the disease.
HISTORY )F CANDIA. 309
DIPHTHERIA.
In the spring of 1861, Mr. John Abbott and his wife Bet-
sey Willitt Abbott were afflicted in a most remarkable
manner by the loss of seven children by diphtheria within a
period of seven weeks. The following are their names:
Mrs. Martha Jane Abbott, wife of Samuel G. W. Patten,
who died April 19, aged 17 years and 10 morths; Joseph
Abbott, died May 6, aged 1 1 ; Charles Abbott, died May 8,
aged 7; R. Milton, died May 15, aged 13; Mary Ellen, died
May 17, aged 9; Daniel Sheppard, died May 28. aged 14:
John Henry, died June 9. aged 16.
DEATH OK TWO BROTHERS.
In the autumn of 1828. Enoch Colby and Sherburne Col-
by, sons of Xehemiah Colby, who then resided on the place
on the Colby road, now owned by the widow of Rev.
James Adams, were taken ill at about the same time with a
disease of the lungs which finally developed into consump-
tion. They declined very rapidly and, on Sunday forenoon,
May 3, 1829, Enoch died. The announcement of his death
to the people at the Congregational church during the inter-
mission produced a profound sensation as it was known
that his brother was near his end. At 8 o'clock in the eve-
ning of the same day, Sherburne also died. The funeral
of the two brothers took place at the old Congregational
meeting-house on Wednesday afternoon, the day following
the annual May training. Col. Samuel Cass was the chief
manager on the occasion. The meeting-house was com-
pletely filled by people who came from all sections of the
town. The remains of the deceased which were enclosed
in bright red coffins were placed upon biers in front of the
pulpit. Rev. Mr. Wheeler preached an able and appropri-
ate sermon in the course of which he spoke of the virtues
of the two young men and the sad and extraordinarg cir-
cumstances under which they had been cut off in their ear-
ly manhood. At the close of the exercises the remains
were taken to the old cemetery and buried in one grave
3IO HISTORY OK CANDIA.
Enoch, the oldest brother, was 26 and Sherburne 23 years
of age.
DEATH OF GEORGE B. BLAKE.
Early in May, 1825, George B. Blake, a very bright and
amiable boy, who lived in the family of Nathaniel Rowe
who resided on the North road, was cut off under peculiar
circumstances. The weather was quite warm for the time
of the year and, like most other children of those days he
went bare-footed on week days. While driving a yoke of
oxen to harrow a piece of ground for planting he stepped
on a small stone with one of his heels. In the course of
two or three days his heel became very sore and painful.
As the true nature of the difficulty was not at first fully real-
ized, a physician was not immediately called in, though,
otherwise, he was taken care of in the best manner. When
at length Dr. Wheat came and opened the sore the heel had
become greatly inflamed. Blood poisoning and mortifica-
tion soon set in and, after great suffering, the boy died on
Saturday evening, May 14, aged 10 years. He was a
nephew of Mrs. Rowe.
The funeral took place or. the following Sunday at 5
o'clock in the afternoon. John, Joshua and Exekiel Lane,
carpenters, who lived in the neighborhood made the ; offin
on Sunday morning at the shop of the first named. The
day was one of the most beautiful of the year, the apple
trees were in full bloom and a large number of people were
present at the funeral services, which were conducted by
Rev. Mr. Wheeler. A hymn of which the following is the
first stanza was sung to the tune of China:
"When blooming youth is snatched away
By death's resistless hand,
Our hearts the mournful tribute pay
Which pity must demand.''
FATAL RESULT OF A QUARREL.
During the great presidential campaign of 1856, a melan-
choly tragedy took place in town. Early in September of
HISTORY OF QANDIA. 311
that year there was a Democratic rally and flag raising on
High Street near the residence of the late Aaron Brown.
Several speeches were made and everything so far as re-
lated to the meeting was concerned passed off to the satis-
faction of all. Among those who were present at the rally
were Albion C. Bean, a son of Jonathan Bean who resided at
the Village and George H. Patten, son of William Patten
who resides on the road from the Corner to Deerfield.
These two young men started to ride together from the
meeting to their homes in the village, Patten having a load-
ed musket by his side. As they passed along they became
engaged in a quarrel. Patten charged Bean with having
abused him in the presence of a young woman to whom
Bean had paid some attention. They went by the way of
the North Road and when they had reached the site of the
old school house in Dist. No. 2 they got out of the carriage.
Bean who was greatly enraged told Patten he was going to
whip him. They were standing about a rod apart and Pat-
ten told Bean that if he advanced a step towards him he
would defend himself with his gun. Bean thereupon start-
ed towards Patten, when the latter fired upon him. The
charge struck one of Bean's legs at the knee by which it
was very badly shattered. He was taken to his home and
Dr. Luther Pattee was called. The leg was amputated, but
all attempts to save the patient proved unavailing and he
died at 24 years of age.
Patten was arrested and brought before John Moore, Esq.,
a justice of the peace, on the charge of murder. A hearing
took place in the vestry of the Freewill Baptist church.
Charles H. Bell of Exeter appeared for the state and Albert
R. Hatch and J. S. H. Frink of Portsmouth for the respon-
dent. Several witnesses testified in substance that Bean
threatened to assault Patten, and that the latter did not fire
until he saw Bean approaching him. The respondent
was discharged on the ground that he acted in self defence.
CHAPTER XXVI.
MISCELLANEOUS.
LIST OF TAX PAYERS IN 182O.
Anderson — Samuel, Josiah, William, Samuel, jr.
Brown — Aaron, Sewell, Nathan, David, Caleb, Caleb, jr.,
Daniel, Jeremiah, Nathan, Nathan, jr., Jonathan, Stephen,
William, Jacob, Aaron, jr., David, jr. Bean — Reuben,
Nathan, Abraham, Benjamin, Jonathan, Moses, Reuben,
jr., Dudley, Sherburne, Joseph, Daniel, David, Gilman,
Abraham, jr.; Buswell — Samuel, Moses, John Samuel, jr.,
Jacob; Burpee — Nathaniel, Ezra, Jonathan; Burleigh —
Nancy, widow, William, John, James; Bagley — Moses,
John, James, Moses, jr.; Brickett — Moses.
Cammet— John, John, jr.; Cass — Samuel,- Samuel, jr.,
Benjamin, Jonathan, Moses; Colby — Nehemian, Phinehas,
Jane, widow; Clough — Sarah, widow, Samuel, Lydia,
widow; Carr — Joseph; Clark — Henry, Joseph, William;
Currier — Jonathan, Timothy, Jonathan, jr. ; Clay — -John,
Walter, John, jr., John, 3d; Critchett — James, Thomas,
James, jr., Moses, Isaac; Colcord — Samuel, Samuel, jr.,
Stephen; Cheney — Eleazar B. ; Chase — Josiah B.
Duncan — William; Dolber — John; Dearborn — Moses, Sam-
uel, John, Sarah, Winthrop, Sargent; Dolber — -John, John,
jr.
Emerson — Moses, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, jr., Jonathan;
Eaton — Paul, Ephrain, Henry True, Henry, Jesse, Peter,
Willian; Edgerly — Benjamin.'
French — Nicholas, Nicholas, jr., Jonathan C. , John,
Moses, Joshua, Josiah, Simon, Nathaniel; Fitts — Daniel,
Moses, Reuben, Samuel, Abraham, Daniel, jr., John, Jo-
seph; Foster — Joseph, James, True; Fifield — John C, Peter,
William; Follansbee — Abel, Amos.
George — Ephraim; Griffin — Benjamin, Da vid, Nathaniel
Gordon John; Glie — Stephen.
312
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 3 I 3
Hubbard— Benjamin, Joshua, J. P., Joseph; Hall — Ben-
jamin, Caleb, Peter, Sargent, Obededom, Jonathan; Hobbs —
Thomas, John; Healey — Jonathan; Hoit — -Richard; Harri-
man — David.
Knowles — Amos, Eleazer.
Lane — John, John, jr., Joshua, Ezekiel, Isaiah., Thomas
B. ; Libbee — Jacob. Josiah: Langford — Anthony; Lang —
Thomas, Deborah, David; Locke— Mary.
Morrill — Samuel, Parker, Jonathan; Moore — Andrew,
John, Jane, widow, John 3d, Ann; Mooers — Samuel; Moore
& Taylor; Martin — John, Moses, Jonathan, Joseph; Marden
— Stephen; McDuffie — Hazen Samuel: Morrison — David,
Thomas D. ; Moody — David.
Pillsbury — Abijah, Jonathan, Caleb, Benjamin, John;
Prince — Caleb, Joseph; Patten — William, Lydia, widow,
Moses, Robert, Willis; Palmer — Joseph, Mary; Prescott —
Edward, James.
Quimby — David.
Robie — John, Levi, Walter, William, John, John, jr.,
John, 3d; Rowe — Jonathan, John P. L., Nathaniel, Moses,
Aaron, Dudley; Rollins — Noah; Richardson — Oilman; Ro-
binson— John.
Sargent — Moses, Samuel, Moses, jr., Moses, 3d, Sarah,
Josiah, Jonathan, Sarah, Thomas, Hannah; Shannon —
Josiah; Stevens — Solomon, Moses; Smith — JosephC, Oliver,
Benjamin, Benjamin, jr., Oliver, Stephen, Bailey, Jonathan,
Jesse, James, Phebe; Seavey — Samuel.
Thorn — Nathan, Amos, Nathan, jr.; Taylor — John;
Towle — William; Turner— Moses, Josiah, Moses, jr.. Wil-
laim; Thresher — Henry.
Varnum — Joshua.
Wheeler — Abraham; Wheat — Nathaniel; Wilson —Tho-
mas, Samuel, Margret; Wason — John; Wortlien — Jona-
than, Lewis, Enoch, jr., John; Woodman — Samuel, David,
Jonathan; Ward — Simon, Cotton; Wadleigh — Jesse.
IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.
For many years previous to 1841, the laws of the state
provided that persons who were unable or unwilling to pay
3^4 HISTORY OF CA.VDIA.
their debts could be imprisoned in the county jails for in-
definite periods of time. The debtors were often treated
like criminals and were sometimes placed in the same
apartments with those who had been arrested for having
committed serious crimes. In 1805, Hon. Russell Free-
man, who had been a councillor and speaker of the House
of Representatives, was imprisoned in the Grafton county
jail at Haverhill for debt. Two other persons who were
also imprisoned fur debt were confined in the same room
with Freeman. One of them named Josiah Burnham, be-
came furiously angry with his companions because they
complained of his ravenous appetite and killed them both.
Burnham was convicted of murder and hung the following
spring before an immense crowd of people.
The barbarous laws by which poor debtors were con-
fined in jail like felons was a disgrace to civilization.
While the law was in force a considerable number of insol-
vent debtors of Candia were arrested by sheriffs and im-
prisoned in the county jail at Exeter. Rufus Wilson of
Chester, who was a deputy sheriff a number of years
previous to 1824 became famous, or rather infamous, by
the zeal he displayed in arresting debtors and hurrying
them off to jail. He often officiated in this way in Candia.
It is said that he was in the habit of buying up claims
against debtors at a great discount. If the claims were
settled promptly, well and good; but in case the unfortu-
nate debtors were unable to settle they were carted off to
jail without mercy.
About the year 1822, Gen. Benjamin Pierce of Hills-
borough, the father of President Franklin Pierce, was
sheriff of Hillsborough county and, as an officer, often
visited the county jail at Amherst. At that time there were
many insolvent debtors in the jail, some of whom had been
imprisoned several years and were totally unable to extri-
cate themselves from their miserable condition. Gen.
Pierce, who was afterwards Governor of the state, became
so touched with pity for those unfortunate men that he paid
all the claims against them out of his own pocket and they
were released.
The following is an extract from a portion of the message
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 315
of Gov. Mathew Harvey to the New Hampshire legisla-
ture in 1830 in which he urged the repeal of the law provid-
ing for the imprisonment of insolvent debtors:
"The entire control over the personal liberty of debtors
was formerly given to creditors to compel payment either
by the terrors of the jail before committment or the misery
of confinement afterwards. This power in the hands of an
unfeeling creditor was often exercised with severity and
fell indiscriminately upon the honest and dishonest; and,
whether the debtor had been deprived of the means of pay-
ment by exercise of bad judgement or by inevitable mis-
fortune, or had fraudulently placed his effects beyond the
reach of his creditors, when once committed to prison was
confined for life without the possibility of a discharge ex-
cept by the mercy of the creditor, or by payment of the
debt, however embarrassing: this might have been to friends
who, moved by sympathy would sometimes do it, or, how-
ever oppressive to an already miserable and destitute fam-
ily."
In accordance with the terms of an old law, creditors
could attach the dead body of a debtor and prevent its
burial until his claims were satisfied. It is said that the
remains of deceased debtors were sometimes attached
while on the way to the cemetery. To frustrate the designs
of selfish and unfeeling creditors, the remains were often
buried secretly at night.
It is understood that Gen. Sullivan, who was governor of
the state several terms died heavily in debt and that some
of his creditors threatened to seize his body unless the
claims were paid.
SOMNAMBULISM.
During the night of April 14, 1873, a most extraordinary
event took place in the town at the residence of Charles R.
Rowe on the North road. About midnight a young man,
sixteen or seventeen years of age, named John Emerson,
who was temporarily stopping with Mr. Rowe, was found
in his bed up stairs with his face and hands terribly muti-
lated. Upon his face there were several deep gashes that
3 1 6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
appeared to have been made with an ax. Some of his
fingers were cut off and others were badly lacerated. It
soon appeared that the assault was probably committed by
a young man about seventeen years of age named Wilfred
Fitts, who was visiting his uncle Jesse R. Fitts, then living
on the North Road about a mile west of the residence of
Mr Rowe.
The people of the town were greatly excited, as it was at
first believed that there had been a deliberate attempt to
commit murder. The young man, Fitts, was arrested and
taken to the county jail at Exeter to await an investigation
of the case. John Emerson, or "Johnny," as he was fa-
miliarly called, in a few days, began to show signs that
his wounds would not prove fatal. He was born
in Richmond, Va. , and is the son ot Richard Emerson, a
native of Candia and the grandson of John Emerson who,
for many years lived on High Street near the residence of
Frank Hall. Wilfred Fitts, the assailant, was a son of
Isaac N. Fitts, a native of Candia, but for many years a
citizen of Lowell, where he died in 1890.
In the course of a few days the investigation took place
at the vestry of the Congregational church before George
F. Hodgdon of Portsmouth; J. S. H. Frink, the county so-
licitor, appeared for the state and David Cross of Manches-
ter appeared for the respondent. A very large audience
was present and a considerable number of the newspapers
in the state were represented.
The dwelling houses of Mr. Rowe and Mr. Fitts were
first examined. Jessse R. Fitts, the uncle of Wilfred, testi-
fied that he was sent to his house by his father in the hope
that he might be restored to health and cured of a propensi-
ty to walk in his sleep. He said that about a month before
the assault upon Emerson, Wilfred was found apparently
asleep in an unfinished garret in the house of Mr. Robbins,
a neighbor. He was dressed, but his pants were inside out.
In his hands there was a broad ax that was taken from the
shop of the witness. He was holding the ax by the blade.
He had taken off his rubber boots and entered the garret by
a ladder. The witness said that John Emerson had lived'
with him for some time and that he went away a day or
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 3 I 7
two before the assault to take care of Mr. Rowe's cattle
during the absence of the latter as a juror at Portsmouth.
Wilfred slept with John and they were on the best of terms.
After the scene at Robbins' garret, he locked Wilfred in the
room when he slept.
Isaac N. Fitts, the father of Wilfred, testified in regard to
many feats he performed when in a state of somnambu-
lism, some of which seemed incredible and highly danger-
ous, and which could not have been performed in a state
of wakefulnes.
From this testimony there seemed to be no doubt that
Wilfred escaped from Mr Fitts' house in some way that will
never be known, went to an old shed, clambered up a lad-
der, got an old chair, then took an ax from the shop, not
previously knowing that the chair or ax were there, carried
them nearly a mile over a muddy road, raised the parlor
window in Mr. Rowe's house, a window that Mr. Rowe
testified he had never been able to raise except with a pry,
entered the window, went across the parlor into a hall,
then up the front stairs and through a winding alley and
into the Emerson boy's room where he committed the as-
sault, and then returned as mysteriously as he went. He
had never been in Mr. Rowe's house before and knew
nothing of the room that Johnny occupied.
The keeper of the jail at Exeter testified that Wilfred was
confined there in a large room in the second story with two
young men from Newcastle who were charged with steal-
ing a $1,000 bond. One night when the two young men
were sound asleep in bed one of them was awakened by
being severely cut with an instrument across the lips and
the other was seized by the hair of his head and an attempt
was made to cut his throat with a razor. When the two
young men were fairly roused they found Wilfred up and
dressed with an open razor in his hand.
Wilfred Fitts, the respondent testified that he never was
in Mr. Rowe's house to his knowledge and had no recol-
lection of his night walking. Various parties from Lowell
testified as to Wilfred's good character. They represented
him as a singularly amiable, and truthful boy, a zealous
3 I 8 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
member of the Methodist church, a fine scholar and a
member of the high school.
David Cross, the counsel for Wilfred, stated that, probab-
ly, history furnished no parallel to the case, and that
neither the common or the state laws made any provisions
for it. There was no doubt that the boy committed the
deed unwittingly and was, therefore, irresponsible. He
further said that the magistrate had no discretion in the
case except to bind him over.
The county solicitor took the same view of the case and
said that if Wilfred's father would put him in, a place of se-
curity, the legal proceedings would go no further.
The respondent was accordingly put under bonds of $500
and returned to Lowell. He remained at his home a short
time but made no progress in the way of regaining his
health. He was finally taken to the insane asylum at
Taunton, Mass., and died in the course of a few months.
John Emerson became a teacher and taught a high school
in Candia and various other places. He is now the princi-
pal of a grammar school in Massachusetts, near Boston.
He will always bear the marks of the ugly wounds he re-
ceived on that terrible April night.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The following are the names of the men who were raised
in Candia, and were graduates of Dartmouth College:
1827 — David Pillsbury, son of Benjamin Pillsbury was
born in Raymond, Feb. 27, 1802. He read law with Hen-
ry Hubbard of Charlestown and Samuel D. Bell of Chester.
He began to practice at Chester in 1830 and resided there
many years and then removed to Concord. He held the
office of judge of the police court in that city several years,
and died in 1862.
1828 — Frederick Parker, son of Thomas Parker, was born
at Bedford, Oct. 3, 1799. He was a lawyer and practiced
in Bangor, Me. He died in that city May 19, 1834, aged
34 years.
1829 — Jacob H. Quimby, son of Jacob H. Quimby was
born in Candia, June 6, 1806. He was professor of Latin
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 3 I 9
and Greek at St. Mary's College, Md. He died Feb. 6,
1838.
1830 — William Henry Duncan, son of William Duncan
the trader was born in Candia, Sept. 26, 1807. He studied
law and opened an office at Hanover. He married a daugh-
ter of Mills Olcott of Hanover and was a brother-in-law to
the celebrated lawyers, Rufus Choate and Joseph Bell of
Boston. He died in 1883.
1 83 1 — Moses Hall Fitts, son of Master Moses Fitts, was
born in Candia, Jan., 1808. He was principal of the Acade-
my at Lewiston and Palymyra, N. Y. He was also county
commissioner of schools in western New York. About the
year 1876 he removed to Santa Rosa, Cal. , and died there in
1889.
1831— Ephraim Eaton, son of Henry Eaton, was born in
Candia, Sept. 13, 1808. He practiced law at Concord, and
was afterwards agent of a manufacturing company at Troy,
N. Y. , where he died March 3, 1863.
1833 — Jesse Eaton Pillsbury, son of Benjamin Pillsbury,
was born in Candia, Dec. 10, 1807. He taught school at
Buffalo, N. Y. , and was principal of an academy at Kings-
ton. He died in 1886. in western New York.
184 1 — Richard Emerson Lane, son of John Lane, Esq.,
was born in Candia, June 2, 18 13. He taught school and
read law at Lewiston, N. Y. , and died there very suddenly
in 1842.
1843 — Lorenzo Clay, son of Walter Clay, was born in
Candia, Nov. 5, 1817. He went to Augusta, Me., and
studied law and practiced many years at Gardiner, Me.
He died in that town in 1890.
1850 — Moses Patten, son of Moses Patten, senior, was
born in Candia, July 4, 1824. He graduated at Andover
Theological Seminary in 1855 and was settled first at
Plympton, Mass. He was afterwards pastor of churches
in Dracut and Townsend, Mass., and in several towns in
Vermont.
1853 — John Dolber Emerson, son of Abraham Emer-
son, was born in Candia, May 29 1828. He graduated at
Andover Theological Seminary in 1858 and was the pastor
of a church at Haverhill, N. H., nine years. He was then
3^0 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
settled at Biddeford, Me., several years. He then became
the pastor of a church at Jericho, Vt. , and remained there a
few years. His next pastorate was at Kennebunk, Me. He
remained there several years when he resigned. He is now
a resident of Biddeford.
1853 — Jonathah C. Brown, son of Jonathan Brown was
born in Candia, Jan. 19, 1827. He was a teacher for some
time when he became connected with a broker's office in
New York city. In this position his health failed and he
became insane. He was an inmate of the New Hampshire
Insane Asylum at Concord many years, and died there Aug.
18. 1 88 1, aged 54 years and 7 months.
1855 — Daniel Dana Patten, son of Moses Patten, senior,
was born at Candia, April 25, 1829. He read law in Boston,
and practiced a short time. He then became a teacher and
taught schools in Stoneham, Mass., Portland, Me., and
other places.
1858 — Samuel Collins Beane, son of Joseph Beane, of the
Island, was born at Candia, Dec. 29, 1835. He graduated
at the Divinity school connected with Harvard University
and was afterwards settled over a Unitarian church at
Chichope. Mass. He resigned and was afterwards pastor
of churches at Salem, Mass., and Concord, N. H. He is
now the pastor of the Unitarian church at Newburyport,
Mass. «
1858 — Albert Palmer, son of Joseph Palmer, was born at
Candia, Jan. 17, 1831. He became a teacher in the Boston
Latin school and held ihe position several years. He then
became engaged in the ice business. He was a member of
both branches of the Massachusetts legislature and held
the office of mayor of Boston in 1883. He died May 21,
1887.
i860 — Samuel Franklin French, son of Coffin M. French
was born at Candia, Dec. 22, 1835. He studied divinity at
Andover Theological Seminary and was first settled as a
minister at Hamilton, Mass. He was afterwards settled
at Tewksbury, Mass., and Wallingford, Vt. He is still
pastor of the Congregational church in the latter place.
i860 — Wilson Palmer, son of Joseph Palmer, was born
in Candia, March 1, 1833. He studied law with Judge
AARON G. WHITTIE'R.
Sketch, page 514.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 32 I
David Cross of Manchester and graduated at the Albany
Law School and practiced law a short time and then went
to the West and became superintendent of schools at Inde-
pendence, Iowa, Sycamore, 111., and Ottumwa, Iowa. A few
years ago he became the editor and proprietor of the
Oyster Bay Pilot, in Oyster Bay, N. Y.
i860 — Alanson Palmer, also a son of Joseph Palmer, was
born in Candia, May 12, 1835. He graduated in i860 and
has been connected with the public schools of New York
city for a number of years.
1 86 1 — Wm. Robie Patten, son of Dea. Francis Patten,
was born in Candia, Aug. 30, 1837. He studied law and
practiced in Manchester several years, and died in May,
1886.
1862 — Luther Wilson Emerson, son of Abraham Emer-
son and a brother of John D. Emerson, was born Oct. 14,
1838. He read law in the office of Lewis & Cox, of New
York, and opened an office in that city. He is still a resi-
dent of New York and has a lucrative practice.
1863 — George Henry French, son of Coffin M. French,
was born in Candia, July 27, 1838. He graduated at
Andover Theological Seminary in 1868. He has been pas-
tor of Congregational churches in Johnson and Ludlow,
Vt., and at Charlestown and Meriden, N. H. He is still
pastor of the church at the latter place.
1865 — Charles Henry Hubbard, son of J. Pike Hubbard,
was born at Candia, July 4, 1839. He graduated at
Andover Theclogical Seminary and was first settled
over the Congregational church at Merrimack, N. H. A
few years ago he removed to Boxford, Mass., and became
pastor of a church at that place.
1885 — Henry A. Hubbard, son of Henry A. Hubbard,
senior, and a grandson of Benjamin Hubbard. After grad-
uating at Hanover he taught high schools in Candia and
Kingston and at Fort Payne, Alabama. He is now residing
in Candia.
1885— John D. Philbrick, son of J. Harvey Philbrick, was
born Aug. 24, 1849. After graduating he became a teacher
in the Thomas N. Hart grammar school in South Boston.
20
322 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and principal of the Bigelow Evening School in that city.
1892 — William R. Emerson, son of Moses F. Emerson,
is a member of the senior class of Dartmouth College, and
will graduate in 1892.
The following are the names of natives of Candia who
were graduates of other colleges and institutions of learn-
ing.
James P. Lane, son of Dr. Isaiah Lane, was born
in Candia, Sept 8, 1832. He fitted for college at Meriden
Academy and graduated at Amherst College and Andover
Theological Seminary. He was then settled over a church
at East Weymouth, Mass., several years. He afterwards
became pastor of the Free Church at Andover, Mass., a
church at Bristol, R. I., and a church at Norton, Mass.
After leaving Norton he retired from the ministry and died
at his residence at Hyde Park, Mass., in 1891.
Alvah A. Smith, son of Charles Smith, and a broth-
er of Edmund Smith, was fitted for' College at Phillips Acade-
my at Andover, Mass., and graduated at Michigan Uni-
versity. He taught schools in Alabama and Lousiana,
and elsewhere. Since then he has been a resident of Boston
and is engaged in the real estate business.
Henry Robie Morrill, son of Samuel Morrill, was born in
1840. He fitted for college at the academy at Wilbraham,
Mass., and graduated at the Wesleyan University at
Middleton, Conn. He then studied law with Judge Henry
B. Craves at Litchfield, Conn. He was admitted to the bar
at Wolcottville in that state, and after practicing law in that
place a short time he was appointed judge of probate of
Litchfield county. He held that office several years,
then removed to Waterbury Conn., and was soon appoint-
ed judge of the city court at that place. He died at Water-
bury in 1873, aged 43.
Moses Palmer, the oldest child of -Joseph Palmer, was
born in December, 1784. He became a Methodist local
preacher. For a number of years he was located at Unity.
He died at Goshen, March 22, 1827; aged 43.
Jacob Reed, son of Abel Reed, was a pupil in the public
school in Dist. No. 2, and when a young man he studied
law and was admitted to the bar in Essex county, Mass.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 323
Rev. James H. Fitts, son of John Fitts, and grandson of
Reuben Fitts, graduated at the theological seminary in
Bangor, Me., after which he was settled over a Congre-
gational church in West Boylston, Mass. He remained
there a few years and then *was setled over a church in
Topsfield, Mass. During the last few years he has been
settled over the Congregational church in South New-
market.
Franklin Fitts, son of Master Moses Fitts. was born in
Candia and was a graduate of the medical school connect-
ed with Dartmouth College. In 1834 he went to Buffalo,
N. Y., and practiced medicine a short time in that city. He
died there in 1835.
Dr. Thomas Wheat, son of Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, was
born in Candia, in January, 1821. He was a graduate of
Jefferson Medical College in 1847, and soon afterwards be-
came a practitioner at Manchester. He is still in active prac-
tice in that city.
John T. Moore, son of John Moore, Esq., was a pupil in
the public schools in Candia and, in 1856, he commenced
the study of law with Judge Chandler E. Potter at Manches-
ter. He soon afterwards opened an office in that city and
has practiced law there until the present time.
Dr. J. Wilson Robie, son of John Robie, studied medicine
and graduated at the New York Medical College, after
which he commenced practi:e in New York. He still
resides there. .
James H. Eaton, son of Capt. Jesse Eaton, was born in
Candia, studied law at Lawrence, Mass., and was princi-
pal of the high school in that city several years. He was
also for several years the cashier of a bank in that place.
Dr. John Franklin Fitts, son of Joseph Fitts, was born in
Candia, Aug 24, 1839, studied medecine with Dr. Page, and
was graduated at the medical school connected with Dart-
mouth .College. He was a very successful practitioner at
Francestown and died there, Oct. 19, 1873.
Dr. George H. French, son of Charles H. French, gradu-
ated at the medical school at Hanover about Your years ago,
and is now settled as a physician at Walpole, Mass.
Francis P. Emerson, son of Moses F. Emerson, studied
324 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
medicine with Dr. C. M. Dodge of Manchester and gradu-
ated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New
York city about 1888. He is now settled as a physician
at Chester, Vt.
Mary J. Dudley and Sara Judith Dudley, daughters of
Woodbury J. Dudley, were graduated at Welles! y College at
Wellesly, Mass.
Carrie L. Emerson, daughter, of Daniel F. Emerson, also
graduated at Wellesly College.
YANKEE DIALECT.
For many years after the settlement of New England, the
majority of the people who were not well educated were in
the habit of pronouncing many of the common words in
use in a very peculiar manner, and words which cannot be
found in an English dictionary were frequently introduced.
The typical Yankee or country Jonathan always talked in
this dialect. A? schools have been multiplied this form of
speech is now seldom heard. The following are specimens
of the words and their pronounciation referred to, the
words as they were improperly pronounced begin with
capital letters and the proper pronounciation is given in
small letters:
Airnest for earnest; Actilly, actually; Ax, ask; Arter,
after; Airly, early; Aint, is not; Bellowses, bellows; Beller,
bellow; Bin, been; Bile, boil; Bimeby, by and by; Blurt
out, to speak bluntly; Bust, burst; Caird, carried; Chunk, a
piece; Cuss, curse, a mean fellow; Close, clothes; Darsn't,
dare not; Darned, a polite way of saying damned; Desput,
desperate; Du, do; Dunno, don't know; Dror, draw; Eend,
end; Tarnal, eternel; Etarnity, eternity; Ef, if; Emptins,
yeast; Es, as; Fur, far; Forrard, forehead, or forward;
Ferfle, fearful; Ferrel, ferrule; Feller, fellow; Fust, first;
Foller, follow; Furrer, furrow; Git, get; Gret, great; Gal,
girl; Grouty, sulky; Gut, got; Gump, a foolish or dull fel-
low; Gum, to impose upon; Hed, had; Housen, houses;
Het, heated; Hull, whole; Hum, home; Hev, have; Ideno,
I don't know; Inimy, enemy; Idees, ideas; Insine, ensign;
Inter, into; Jegde, judge; Jest, just; Jine, join; Jint, joint;
HISTORY OF CAND1A. 325
Keer, care; Ketch, catch; Kinder, similar; Kittle, kettle;
Let daylight into him, to shoot or destroy him; Lick, to •
beat or whip; Lights, lungs; Mash, a marsh; Mean, stingy;
Often, often; Ole, old; Peek, to peep; Pint, a point; Popler,
popular; Popple, poplar; Put out, troubled, or vexed; Riled,
angry, Riz, rose or risen; Sass, sauce; Sassy, impertinent;
Sartin, certain; Set by or Sot by, admired; Sich, such;
Slarter, slaughter; No great shakes, not of much account;
Meetin' heouse, meeting house; Nower's, Nowhere; Pooty,
pretty; Pizen, poison; Scaly, mean; Scrouging, hard labor;
Sot, sat; Picter, picture; Snaked out, pulled out; Streaked,
mean; Scoot, to run away; Sogerin, shirking; Somers,
somewhere; Suthin, something; Take on, to mourn; Taters,
potatoes; Tetch, touch; Sost, so as to; Darter, daughter;
Wal, well; Wuz, was; Puddn, pudding; Winder, window;
Hins, hens; Ter rites, presently; Harrer, harrow; Harrerup
yer .feelins, to excite your feelings, Put out, offended;
Straddle over, step over; Grouty, cross or angry; Terbarker
or Barker, tobacco; Pester, annoy; Sharder, shadow; Pesky,
offensive; Larnin, learning; Turkle, turtle; Tootin, blowing
on an instrument; Sho, an exclamation of surprise; Duds,
clothes; Nuther, neither; Natur, nature; Yaller, yellow; I
swow, or I swan, another way of saying I swear; Edicated,
educated; This ere, This here; That are, that there; Seed,
saw; Hist, hoist; T'other, the other.
Words ending with the sylable ing, were pronounced as
though the final consonant, g, was silent.
THE DEERFIELD EXPLOSIONS.
During the summer and fall of 1845, the people of Deer-
field and vicinity were startled by loud subteraneous noises'
which seemed to proceed from a section of territory lying
in the southeastern part of the town, near the Nottingham
line and in the immediate vicinity of the southwestern side
of the Pawtuckaway mountains. At some of the explosions
the houses were shaken, stoves and other kitchen furniture
were rattled, clocks were stopped, and crockery was
thrown down and broken. The noises were often as
loud as the report of a twelve pounder cannon when heard
326 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
at a distance of half a mile, but there were no echoes or
reverberations in the atmosphere like those which follow
thunder or explosions of any sort above ground; neither
were there any long- wave motions in the earth or noises
which gradually become fainter and fainter like those
which accompany ordinary earthquakes. The most intelli-
gent of the people who heard the strange sounds were
agreed that they were occasioned by some local dis-
turbance in the earth at a moderate distance below the sur-
face. Many of the inhabitants were much alarmed and
feared that a great volcano was about to break out and
cause great destruction of life and property. At length, on
the invitation of the late Judge Butler, and other citizens of
Deerfield, Prof. Merriam, a meteriologist of Brooklyn,
N. Y., visited the locality in the vicinity of the Pawtuck-
away mountains and made a partial investigation of the
case; but in consequence of a violent storm his labors
were suspended and were never resumed.
The strange noises were distinctly heard by many of the
people of Candia. One Sunday, the minister of the Freewill
Baptist church at the Village was interrupted by a loud ex-
plosion, which was accompanied by a violent shaking of
the ground, the meeting house, and the rattling of the
stove and windows.
The author of this history, during a protracted visit to
Deerfield in the fall of 1845, had a most excellent oppor-
tunity for realizing some of the effects of these strange
phenomena. One evening in October while conversing with
the late Morrill White, E. P. Prescott and others at the store
of Prescott & Philbrick on the South Road, a very loud
noise, resembling the report of a cannon, was heard and
the store was violently shaken from top to bottom. A
month later, while stopping at the residence of Mrs.
Josiah Houghton, on the same street, the writer was
awakened at midnight by a very loud explosion. Another
soon followed, the earth trembled and the house was
shaken.
The cause of these extraordinary noises has never
been satisfactorily explained, thongh various theories have
been suggested. It is well known that there are deposits
HISTORY (K CANDIA. 327
of bog- iron ore in Deerfield n :ar the Pawtuckaway moun-
tains. This iron was used to a considerable extent by the
blacksmiths of Deerfield, Nottingham and Candiaa hundred
years ago or more. It proved to be of a very inferior quality
and its use -was long ago abandoned. It has been thought
by some persons, that the peculiar composition of this ore may
in some way have been connected with the cause of the
explosions. It is said that a short time before the noises
were first heard, the Newmarket Manufacturing Company
obtained control of the Pawtuckaway Pond, one of the
principal sources of the Lamprey River, and raised the
dam at the outlet several feet for the purpose of increasing
their water power.
One of the theories which has been suggested in explana-
tion of the explosions is that the raising of the pond caused
the water to flow back into crevices and caverns under the
mountains and adjacent lands, which, coming in contact
with the sulphate of iron and other mineral substances,
produced a chemical action which generated steam or cer-
tain gasses followed by the explosions and rumblings.
Another theory is that the cooling of the crust of the
earth produced a shrinkage and a fracture of the same ac-
companied, by the consequent, extraordinary noises.
Upon the occurrence of one of the shocks a man chanced
to be standing in the highway near the boundary line be-
tween Candia and Deerfield, where a great granite ledge
crops out for some distance east and west. He described
the noise as resembling two ledges grinding furiously to-
gether beneath him, and that the vibrations of the earth
were so great that he could not stand still.
VISITS OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES >ND LAFAY-
ETTE TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.
In 1789, soon after Gen Washington had been inaugurat-
ed President of the United States, he visited several of the
New England States. He came to New Hampshire and
was welcomed at Portsmouth by Gen. John Sullivan, then
the President of the state. The citizens of Portsmouth and
the surrounding towns in great numbers received the firs
32 8 HI STORY OF CAN D I A.
president with every demonstration of gratitude and satis-
faction. On his return to Boston, Washington passed
through Exeter, where he was received by a large number
of the people of that town and vicinity. It is said that a
considerable number of the people of Candia, among whom
were several soldiers of the Revolution who had served
under Washington, welcomed him at Portsmouth or
Exeter.
In 181 7, James Monroe, the fifth president, visited the
New England States. He came to New Hampshire and
was received by the governor, the members of the legisla-
ture and a large body of citizens.
In 1824, the illustrious General Lafavette of France, who
aided in securing the independence of the American colo-
nies, made an extended' visit to the United States. He was
received with demonstrations of great joy in many sections
of the Union. In June, 1825, he visited New Hampshire
upon the invitation of the legislature which was then in
session. While on his way from Boston to Concord, a few
days after he had laid the corner stone of Bunker Hill
monument, he passed a night and part of a day at the
Derby mansion in Derry, which is now the residence
of Col. George W. Lane, a native of Candia.
Upon his arival at the bridge in Concord he was received
with a national salute of artillery and. escorted to the State
House by eight military companies under the command of
Gen. Bradbury Bartlett. As he passed up Main Street he was
hailed with shouts and cheers from fifty thousand citizens
of the state. At the State House he was met by more than
two hundred heroes of the Revolution, some of whom had
been his companions in arms in the great struggle for
human liberty. To each of these he was introduced by
Gen. Pierce, a veteran of Bunker Hill, and the father of
President Pierce. In the afternoon, a sumptuous dinner,
prepared by John P. Gass, was served to about eight hun-
dred citizens. ' After the cloth was removed the following
toast was offered by Gen. Pierce: " Our Guest, the Friend
of Washington, and the friend of Mankind." Gen. Lafayette
responded and expressed his affectionate acknowledge-
ments for the kind welcome he had received.
HISTORY OF CAM) I A. 329
John Lane, Esq., who was a member of the House of
Representatives from Candia at the time greatly entertained
many of the people of the town by his account of the re-
ception of Lafayette, including- minute details of his person-
al appearance, his manner of expressing- himself in broken
English, and what the hero said when he was personally
introduced to him.
In June, 1833, President Jackson, accompanied by Vice
President Van Buren, Gen. Cass, the secretary of war, Levi
Woodburry, the secretary ot the navy, and other members
of his cabinet, visited New Hampshire and was welcomed
by the Governor and members of the Legislature. It was
a great day in Concord and a vast multitude of people
assembled to greet the distinguished warrior and states-
man.
A very large number of the people of Candia were
present upon the occasion.
In June, 1846, James K. Polk, who was elected President
in 1844 visited New England. He came to Concord on the
invitation of the New Hampshire legislature. He was re-
ceived at the State House by the Governor and Council,
and the members of the senate and House of Representa-
tives. In reply to an address of welcome he made an able
and interesting speech. Hon. Abraham Emerson of Candia,
who was then a senator from Dist. No. 2, was a member
of a joint special committee of both branches of the legis-
lature which met Mr. Polk in Boston and officially extend-
ed to him the invitation of those bodies to visit New
Hampshire.
It may be mentioned that the only time that Abraham
Lincoln ever visited New Hampshire was in the spring ot
i860, just before the annual state election. He made three
addresses in the state, the last of which was delivered at a
great Republican meeting in Manchester. Hon. Erederick
Smyth, who presided at the meeting, introduced Mr.
Lincoln as the next president of the United States. In
about six months afterwards Mr. Lincoln was elected to the
presidential chair, though it was generally believed that
Mr. Seward would be the Republican candidate.
President Grant visited Manchester, Concord and other
33° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
sections of the state in August, 1869, and was greeted by-
great throngs of people, including large numbers of
soldiers who had served under him. Many of the people
of Candia, including various soldiers who had served under
him in the geat war of the rebellion, visited Manchester
and in the heartiest manner greeted the great commander
on the occasion.
President Hayes, who succeeded Gen. Grant as presi-
dent, visited Concord, Manchester and Nashua in the sum-
mer of 1879. A* Manchester he was escorted io Smyth's
Hall, where he was welcomed by a large number of the
citizens of that city. The President made an interesting
address and was followed by Wm. M. Evarts, the secretary
of state, and other members of his cabinet.
President Harrison visited Portsmouth, Manchester and
Concord in July, 1889. In all those places he was escorted
by processions of troops and welcomed by crowds of
people. At Concord he was escorted to the State House,
where he was presented to the members of the Legislature.
In reply to a speech of welcome by the governor, the
president made a respond. Many Candia people were
present on the occasion.
HAI.LS.
The town has always been well provided with places for
public gatherings. The hall which was first built in the
town was probably that which Master Moses Fitts erected
over his store about ninety years ago.
When Moore & Sargent traded at the Corner they built a
hall over their store which is now occupied by the Masonic
fraternity.
Peter Eaton erected a hall over his store near the
Congregational meeting house.
Moore & Taylor had a convenient hall over their store at
the Village in the east end of the block, and near the
grist mill.
W. J. Dudly, a few years ago, constructed a hall over his
store. This hall is now partially occupied by the Odd
Fellows and other associations.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 33 1
About fifteen years ago, George W. Robinson, who then
owned the tavern at the Depot Village, built a hall in the
second story of the L. part of the building.
In 1SS1, John T. Moore of Manchester erected the
building called Moore"s Opera House, situated on the
southwest corner of the road leading; to Hio-h Street and
that which leads to the Village and Deerfield. A part of
the building was occupied by the military company in
Candia, called the Patten Guards, for two or three years,
after which the organizatioh was disbanded.
The Vestry of the Methodist Society at the Corner was
for several yea s used occasionally for exhibitions.
* PAUPERISM.
By an act passed by the provincial legislature of Xew
Hampshire forty years before Candia was settled, it was
provided, that, if any person came to sojourn in any town
in the province and be there received and entertained for
the space of three months, and not having been warned by
the constable to leave the place, and the names of such
persons, with the time of their abode there, and when such
warning was given, returned to the quarter session; such
person shall be reported an inhabitant of such town, and
the town shall be liable to maintain such persons. It was
also enacted that any person so warned out, and neglect-
ing for fourteen days to remove, may, by warrant from a
justice of the peace, be sent, from constable to constable
into the town where he properly belongs, or had his last
residence.
When New Hampshire became a state, the above law re-
mained in force, and, for many years, poor people, who
came to Candia, were warned to depart without delay.
The first warning of this kind of which there is any record,
was in 1783. In the selectmen's account for that year,
Zachariah Clifford was paid seven shillings and three pence
for performing that duty. The following is a copy of the
form of the warrant;
State of New Hampshire, Rockingham s. s. To Zach-
ariah Clifford, constable for the town of Candia. Greeting:
T,T,2 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
sir: — You are hereby required in the name of the state
forthwith to warn Jeremiah Blank, his wife and children, to
depart out of the town of Candia, that they may be no
future cost to said town.
Hereof fail not, and make return of this warrant with
your doings thereon to the clerk of the court of s«.id county
within sixty days of the date. Given under our hands this,
twentieth day of February, 1783.
Samuel Buswell, )
Ephraim Eaton, >- Selectmen of Candia.
John Hills. )
For man/ years the selectmen of the town provided
homes for those who were unable to support themselves in
•such families as were willing- to care for them. At length,
it became customary 'o set up the expense of support-
ing poor families or single individvals at auction to the
lowest bidder, and sometimes the entire body of paupers
were sold in this way to a single citizen. At the annual
town meeting in 1824 it was voted that the services and
keeping of the paupers, twenty-four in number as per list
of the selectmen, should be let at auction for the term of
one year from the 20th of March, instant: That they should
be well used and kept, as well clothed as they now are;
and, that one or more of the selectmen should visit them
as often as once in each month; the purchaser to pay all
bills incurred on their account, whether in health or sick-
ness or death, for the above time. They were struck off
for $131.50. In case there were paupers in good health,
including women and children of a suitable age, they were
expected to perform a reasonable amount of work for the
contractors who had them in charge.
The practice of selling the support of the poor at auction
to the lowest bidder, was a great disgrace to the town.
Any person with half an eye could see that in case they
were struck off at a very low price, the successful bidder
was sorely tempted to put them on the poorest and most scan-
ty fa«re even to make himself whole; and worse than that, if
he succeeded in making any profit by the transaction.
How the man who, in 1824, bid off the support of twenty-
four poor people and bound himself to feed, clothe them,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. $S3
and pay all their bills in case of sickness or death could
fairly and honorably fulfil his obligations even in those
times is a conundrum that cannot be easily explained.
That system of disposing- of the poor was fortunately
abandoned more than fifty years ago and there have been
no more auctions of that kind since that time. It may be
said that, while in some cases the poor were subjected to
unkind treatment, as a general rule they were well
cared for.
In 1850, the town voted to purchase a farm and buildings,
and keep the poor together at one place. Soon afterwards,
the selectmen purchased the large farm owned by Otis
Colcord and situated on the Colcord Road in the northeast
part of the town. Mr. Colcord sold tne farm, tools and
stock for the sum of 3,500. In 1851, the town took pos-
session, and Hiram Mathews was appointed the first super-
intendent. The poor were well supported there and the
system gave good satisfaction to the people. For some
years one of the buildings was used as a house of correc-
tion for persons who had committed minor offenses against
the laws, and the superintendant of the farm had charge of ■
the institution. There were several superintendents of the
farm in the course of years, among whom were David
Lovejoy and Elbridge Young.
In 1849, the town voted to sell the farm and return to the
old system of supporting the poor. The large farm was di-
vided into lots and sold to various persons. J. Wesley
Lovejoy bought the buildings and a considerable number
of acres of land. The property was sold for nearly the
total amount of its cost.
About the year i860, a county almshouse was established
at Brentwood and" all paupers in the County who had not
obtained a settlement in the several towns were supported
there. Since that time the laws have been altered from
time to time so that all persons who have not paid a poll
tax for seven successive years or a tax on real or personal
estate, were regarded as county paupers. When it becorrres
apparent to the selectmen of a town that a citizen who has
but little or no property is liable to become a town charge,
they take care to leave his name off the inventory and the
334 HISTORY OF CA.VDIA.
list of taxpayers once in seven years. In this way the poor man
loses his settlement, and the town is protected from any
liability to support him.
By an act passed by the legislature about three years
ago, the towns are required to support all soldiers who
served in the War of the Rebellion who are unable to sup-
port themselves, and by this law such poor persons cannot
be regarded or treated as paupers. There are probably about
a dozen or more such persons in the town.
LIST OF TAX PAYERS IN I 830.
Anderson — Samuel, Daniel, William, Thomas.
Bean — Abraham, Abraham, jr., Benjamin, Moses, John,
John, jr., Phinehas, Jonathan, Gordon, Joseph, David,
Samuel, Dudley; Burpee— Nathaniel, Jonathan; Buswell —
John, Samuel, Asbury; Burleigh — James, William; Butler —
Joseph H., Charles; Bunker — William: Brown — David,
Caleb, Caleb, jr., William, Stephen, Nathan, Nathan, jr.,
Aaron, David, jr., James, Nehemiah, Nathaniel; Batchelder
—Thomas; Barker — Levi; Burbank — Enoch.
Cammet — John; Cass — Jonathan, Samuel, Moses, Icha-
bod, Francis; Colby — Nehemiah, Phinehas, Thomas, Ben-
jamin P.; Carr — Joseph, Nathan; Clark — William, Oilman;
Currier — Timothy, Jonathan; Clay — John, John, jr.; Critch-
ett James, James, jr., Thomas; Colcord — Samuel, Stephen;
Cheney — Elihn B. ; Chase — Hosea.
Duncan — William; Dolber — John, John, jr., Daniel; Dear-
born— Moses, Winthrop S. Samuel, Leonard; Dudley —
Scmuel, Stephen; Dolloff — Caleb; Dustin — Robie; Durgin—
Zebulon.
Eaton — Henry True, Henry, Henry S:, Jonathan, Edwin,
True, Dearborn; Emerson — Moses, Moses, jr., Nathaniel,
Jonathan, Abraham, John, Thomas; Evans — Edor W.,
Waldren G., Lane, John.
French — Jonathan C, Josiah, John, Moses, Simon,
Coffin M. Charles, Asa, True, Lowoll B., Joseph D. ; Fitts—
Reuben, Daniel, Joseph, Frederick, Abraham, Abraham,
jr., John, Joshua, John L., Josiah; Fifield— John C, Peter.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 335
William, Sumner, John, French; Flanders — Timsthy; Fos-
ter— True.
Griffin — David, Jefferson; Gordon — John S. , Charles;^
Gule — Stephen.
Hall — Jonathan, Caleb, Benjamin, Sargent, Obededom,
Moses, Rufus, John C. ; Hubbard — Joshua, Benjamin,
Elias; Hobbs — John; Hills — -Parker; Healey — Jonathan,
Simon; Hoitt — Richard; Huntoon — Elisha, Asa, Hook,
Josiah; Haines — Noah; Heath — Joseph; Hailford — Moses;
James — Moses, John Y.
Knowles — Eleazer.
Lane, John, Joshua, Ezekiel, Isaiah; Libbee — Jacob,
Benjamin, David; Langford — Anthony, Joseph C. ; Lang —
David, Benjamin; Lewis — Thomas; Lovejoy — Abel.
Moore — Andrew, John, Gilden, Robert, John 3d; Martin
— Joseph, Mases, Jonathan; Morrill — Parker, Samuel; Mar-
tin; Mc. Duffie — ■ David, Samuel, Archibald, Daniel; Mead
— Jacob; Mathews— Thomas, T; omas D., Whittier P.; Mc.
Mullen— John; Morrell— Jacob S. ; Morse— Caleb.
Norton — David.
Orr — Henry S. »
Pillsburs — Benjamin, Jonathan, Caleb, John Moses; Page
— John; Patten — William, Moses, Francis, Willis; Palmer —
Joseph; Prescott — Edward; Pray — Mark: Parker — Freeman.
Quimby — Timothy.
Robie — Walter, William, John, John, jr., Asa, Levi;
Rowe — Jonathan, Nathaniel, Nathaniel, Jr., John P. L. ,
Moses, Aaron, Ira, John; Richardson — Gilman, Joseph,
David; Robinson — John; Reed — Moses, Abel; Reynolds —
Owen.
Sargent — Moses, James, Thomas W., Jonathan, John,
Josiah, Rufus; Shannon — Josiah; Stevens — Solomon; Smith
—J. Chase, Benjamin, Bailey, Jesse. Stephen, Jesse
Charles, John, True, Henry; Sanborn — Stephen, Tappan;
Skelton — Artemas: Seavey — Daniel, John, Rowell; Stone —
George W.
Thorn — Nathan, Amos; Turner — Moses, Moses, jr.,
Josiah, William; Thresher — Henry, Towle — Jesse; Towns —
Mark.
Underhill— Moses.
33^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Vamum — Moses.
Wheeler — Abraham; Wheat — Nathaniel; Wason — John;
. Wilson — Samuel; Worthen — Lewis, Enoch, John; Whittier —
Josiah; Woodman — Samuel; Wendell — William.
THE POUND.
The custom of impounding cattle or other stock when
they became mischievous or ran astray existed in England
for centuries, and was practiced by the early settlers of
New England. The law required towns to provide suitable
enclosures, called pounds, for keeping such stock until
they were restored to their owners. About the year 1780,
it was voted to build a pound of timber. A committee,
consisting of Abraham Fitts, John Carr and John Clay, was
chosen to carry the vote into effect. The pound was located
near the southeast corner of Col. John Carr's lot, and near-
ly opposite to the present Congregational meeting-house.
It was about twenty feet square and the walls were built of
large logs, smoothly hewn upon two opposite sides, and
laid one above the other to a height of seven feet.
In early times, when the fences .were imperfect and
weak, stray animals were very frequently impounded.
Some farmers were slack, and took but little pains to keep
their fences in good order, and, as a consequence, their
cattle and sheep could easily jump over into the highway,
or into the neighbors' fields, and do great damage to their
growing crops. Some very forbearing and good-natured
farmers would endure such outrages without making much
complaint; but when they were too often repeated, it was
no wonder that they lost their temper and drove the offend-
ing animals to the pound where they were placed under
lock and key. The owners of the. animals could not obtain
posession of them until they had paid all damages and the
costs, which were taxed by a justice of the peace.
In the course of twenty years, the old pound became
dilapidated, and the town voted to build a new one of
stone upon the same spot. The old pound was according-
ly taken down, and the materials were sold for one dollar,
and a new pound with heavy stone walls was erected in its
JOHN T. -MOORE.
Sketch, page 501.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 337
place. The top of the walls were covered with plates of
timber. Col. John Carr was the first keeper of the pound.
He was succeeded by his son, Joseph Carr, Nathan Carr,
and various other citizens.
About forty years ago, the pound was very seldom need-
ed, and it was soon after demolished. Previous to that
time, the law was altered so that any person's enclosure
might be used as a place for confining animals running at
leisure.
THE WHIPPING POST.
The provincial legislature of New Hampshire, several
years before Candia was incorporated,' passed an act by
which persons guilty of profane swearing, drunkenness
and other minor offenses were punished by compelling
them to sit in the stocks several hours in full view of the
passers by. Stealing was punished by publicly whipping
the thief, not exceeding twenty lashes. The law, requiring
these penalties, was in force as late as 1815. In the old
town of Chester, the whipping post and stocks were set up
near the meeting-house. Sometimes a guide post was used
for a whipping post. There is no record that either stocks
or whipping posts were ever set up in Candia, but offenders
were, nevertheless, publicly whipped. Persons still living
in the town can remember that a man by the name of
Getchell was whipped by Constable Moses Dearborn, near
Duncan's store, seventy years ago. By an act passed soon al-
ter that time, the custom of whipping offenders was
abolished, and thieves and other offenders against the laws
were generally confined in the State Prison, which was
built at Concord in 18 12.
WEDDINGS.
Previous to 1820, the public announcement that a young
man and a young woman were intending marriage was
made by the town clerk at the close of the services on Sun-
day. John Lane, senior, who held the office of town cl rk
22
338 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
several years, was in the habit of arising in his pew, which
was situated in the body of the house, near the east porch,
and reading aloud the names of parties who were be-
trothed to each other. This manner of publicly proclaiming
an intention of marriage was sometimes called crying.
When Peter Eaton was chosen town clerk, such announce-
ments were made in a written statement to that effect,
posted on one of the pillars which supported the gallery on
the west side of the broad aisle, about midway between
the front door and the pulpit. Mr. Eaton was a man of
wit and fond of a good joke, and, in case he was called
upon to publish intentions of marriage where one or both
parties interested had some peculiar characteristics, he
sometimes appended to the notice, a short humorous com-
ment upon their proposed change of condition. Upon an-
nouncing that a bachelor, who had lived on this planet
more than fifty years, was about to wed an old maid of
about the same age, he added a brief reference to the wide
contrast between the loneliness and miseries incidental to
celibacy and the joys of matrimony. He was town clerk
twelve years, and, in 1 83 1 , he declined to be candidate for
re-election. Just before the annual town meeting of that
year, he posted his last notice of an intended marriage,
written, as usual, in his bold artd beautiful style of penman-
ship. At the bottom of the paper the following lines ap-
peared :
My muse commands a parting toast
To all I've published on this post:
" Long life and health, unnumbered joys,
Peace in the camp, fine girls and boys.''
During the intermission on the following Sunday, many
of the attendants at the church quietly passed to the broad
aisle and read the curious document upon the post, the
Sunday School, in the meantime, being in full session. The
late Dea. Francis Patten was at the time engaged in teach-
ing a class of boys in a pew very near the post, and one, or
perhaps two of the pupils, even now, distinctly remember
how the women smiled and tittered as they read the toast
of the retiring clerk, and how the cheeks of the wife of
Aaron Rowe, formerly Polly Cass, became more rosy than
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 339
ever as she exclaimed in an under tone: " Lor", that's
Peter ali over."'
The wedding generally took place within three or four
weeks after the marriage intentions had been published. A
short time prior to the great event there was a very busy
time at the residence of the prospective bride in putting the
house in order, making the wedding cake, and preparing
for the coming feast. The making of the wedding dress
was also an important matter to be attended to. The
marriage ceremony was generally performed at the house
of the bride, but sometimes it took place at the minister's
residence. The ceremony was generally performed at
about noon, after which a sumptuous dinner was served.
In early times, the bride and bridegroom with their
guests rode on horseback in procession from the home of
the former to that of the latter, the ladies sitting on a pillion
behind their masculine companions; but when good sleighs
and chaises were introduced, many of the best sleighs, and
all of the chaises in town were engaged for the occasion.
The price charged for the use of these vehicles for wedding
occasions was told in the following couplet, which was
often recited by the young men of the period, who were
most interested and experienced in such matters:
' A dollar a day for a horse and sleigh.
A dollar a day for a horse and shay. "
The readers of Dr. Holme's poem entitled "The One
Horse Shay, " need not be informed that the word chaise
was regarded by the unenlightened of seventy years ago as
a plural noun, and so, in speaking of a single vehicle of that
kind, they called it shay. The wedding party partook of a
nice supper at the house of the bridegroom, after which,
they spent the evening in singing, and the enjoyment of
other entertainments.
On the Sunday following the wedding, the married
couple usually rode together to church. As the husband
escorted his bride up through the broad aisle and, for the
first time, opened the pew door and bowed her gracefully
to her seat, a good many heads were turned towards them,
and, for a few moments, they were the subjects of a pretty
close examination. The new dress and Leghorn bonnet of
340 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
of the bride, with all the trimmings, were especially criti-
cised by the women of the parish.
In the good old days, when many of the farmers of the
town were prosperous and " forehanded," it was customary
for the parents of a family of children, to give each of their
daughters a first rate cow on the occasion of their marriage
and also a quantity of household goods, consisting of a lot
of nice bedding, a bureau, tables, chairs, a pair of andirons,
candlesticks and kitchen furniture, including a bread
trough, a cake board and a rolling pin. The gift of these
wedding presents was called, in Yankee parlance, the "fix-
ing out. "
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES.
Within a few years past it has become the fashion among
many people to celebrate the anniversaries of the wedding
days of their married friends, sometimes the tenth, the
twenty-fifth, and much more rarely the fiftieth, when a
man and wife have lived "happily together alf a century.
This custom has been observed in our town to a consider-
able extent, and the relatives and particular friends of long
wedded wives and husbands have, in many instances,
called upon them as they passed certain mile posts in their
journey of life and presented to them some testimony of
their kind regards and sympathy.
In the early summer of i83i some of the friends of the
late Nathan Carr and his wife Sally Carr, who was the
daughter of Dea. Josiah Shannon, remembering that, for
many years, they had extended a great many courtesies to
those members of the Congregational Society and others,
who lived at a considerable distance from the church, con-
ceived the idea of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of
their marriage in a public manner. Many of the members
of the society and other persons who resided in Manches-
ter, gladly endorsed the suggestion, and proceeded at once
to make arrangements for a golden wedding that would be
a credit to all concerned. The ladies of the parish prepared
a sumptuous entertainment at the vestry, and adorned the
table with flowers. The bride and bridegroom of half a
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 34 I
century, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. John Rowe, who
officiated as best man and bride's maid, and "stood up"
with tnem when they were married proceeded to the vestry
and occupied a conspicuous position upon the platform in
front of the audience. The vestry was crowded. William
Crane presided and made an interesting- introductory
address. Addresses were also made by Rev. W. C. Reed,
Austin Cass," Dea. Francis Patten and others belonging: to
Candia, and also Ex. Gov. Smyth, Francis B. Eaton, J. G.
Lane, J. Bailey Moore and others of Manchester. Poems,
pertinent on the occasion, written by F. B Eaton and Mary
Ann Robie, were read to the audience. Various presents
were made to Mr. and Mrs. Carr, among which was a
purse containing about twenty-five dollars in gold, which
was presented by their Manchester friends.
It may be stated that a year or two after Nathan Carr's
golden wedding he died suddenly of pneumonia. In the
course of a year or two atter that event, his widow was
married to Charles H. Butler, a widower and an octosrena-
rian, who, fifty years ago, was a citizen of Candia and a
neighbor of the Carr family. Soon after the marriage Mrs.
Butler purchased a cottage near the Village in Raymond.
After residing at that place two or three years, Mrs. Butler
suddenly died, leaving her property to her husband. Her
remains sleep by the side of those of Nathan Carr, her first
husband, in the old cemetery. Mr. Butler lingered a short
time and then he, too, died and his remains were buried by
the side of those of his first wife in Massachusetts.
ARREST AND TRIAL OF EDWARD R. INGALLS FOR ALLEGED EM-
BEZZLEMENT.
A very remarkable event took place in the town in
March, 1879. On the morning of the fourth day of that
month, Edward R. Ingalls, the town treasurer, was found
by Parker M. Towle, a near neighbor, and others tied to a
ladder in his barn with handcuffs on his wrists and a gag
in his mouth. After his release, Mr. Ingalls stated that on
the previous evening he sat up until 12 o'clock, arranging
his accounts as town treasurer. About 4 o'clock the "next
342 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
morning, he heard a noise which seemed to proceed from
his barn as if his cattle or horse were loose. He remained
in bed half an hour longer, when he again heard the noise.
Then he got up, lighted a lamp and started for the barn.
As he stepped into a passage way leading to the barn floor,,
a dark lantern was thrust into his face and he was seized by
two men, while a third man held the lantern. He stoutly
resisted, and, after a short scuffle, he got clear for a mo-
ment, but was immediately seized again and gagged. He
was then taken to an upright ladder, and one of his arms
was placed under one of the rounds and handcuffs were
placed upon his wrists. His assailants then left him. He
tried to make a noise, but could not at first succeed. At
length, his wife got up and came to him in the barn. He
appeared to be completely exhausted and went to bed. J.
Maeder Young came to him and cut off the handcuffs.
Ingalls stated th:t, at the time of the assault, he had the sum
$5, 4 35- £"5 of the town's money in his possession, and that
the largest part of this sum, amounting to $3,700, was
placed in a bureau drawer in one of the rooms of the house
while the sum of $800, together with notes, amounting in
all to the sum of $1,735.35, was deposited in one of the
pockets of his pantaloons, which were placed under the
pillow in his room where he slept. He said, that after the
assault he found that the first and largest sum referred to
had been stolen, while the smaller sum was safe in his
pantaloons pocket. He also stated that his gold watch was
stolen at the same time.
The story of Ingalls produced a great sensation in the
town and elsewhere. The people were divided in their
opinion concerning the story. When the robbery took place
the people of the town were greatly surprised and chagrin-
ed upon learning that Mr. Plumer and Mr. Brown had neg-
lected to require Ingalls. their associate, upon the board of
selectmen, to procure new bonds, when they re-appointed
him treasurer, and that, as a consequence, the town had
suffered a loss of nearly $4,000. At the annual town meet-
ing, which took place in less than a week after the robbery,
it was voted to make a thorough investigation of the affair.
A committee was chosen, but all the members declined to
hist;:.v of candia. 343
serve. It was then voted to instruct the selectmen to appoint
a committee of three to make an investigation, and take such
action upon the case as was deemed expedient. The select-
men appointed Moses F. Emerson, William Crane and
George Emerson, members of the committee. After taking
into account all the circumstances, the committee laid the
whole matter before the county solicitor and the attorney
general. As a result, the evidence on the part of the state
was given to the grand jury at Exeter in the following
April, and Ing-alls was indicted on the charge of embezzle-
ment. He was immediately arrested by Sheriff Smart, of
Newmarket, and ordered to give bonds for his appearance
for trial. For some reason, the trial was put off until the
following November of the same year. Ingalls gave bonds
for his appearance and came back to Candia.
At the assembling of the court at Portsmouth, Nov. 1.
1879, *ne t™3^ °f ingalls was put off until the 18th of the
same month. Ingalls, who was present again, gave bonds
and returned home, but he was shortly re-arrested, as his
bondsmen gave him up, and he was taken to the jail at
Exeter.
The trial took place at Exeter in January. Attorney
General M. W. Tappan and County Solicitor Walter Harri-
raan appeared for the state and Gilman Marston of Exeter
and William R. Patten of Manchester appeared for the
respondent.
J. Maeder Young testified that he was tax collector and
and one of the auditors in 1878, and that there was a little
over $3,300 in the hands of Treasurer Ingalls. He said he
sold Ingalls a gold watch in 1874.
Plummer W. Sanborn, one of the selectmen in 1877 and
1878, said that soon after the town meeting in March, 1878,
he asked Ingalls if he would take the appointment of treas-
urer for that year and file new bonds, whereupon he said he
had been told by counsel that it was not necessary to file
new bonds. Soon after the robbery, the witness said, he
asked Ingalls what counsel he had consulted in the matter,
and he answered Judge Cross of Manchester. The next day
he asked him the same question and he replied, Mr. Huse.
Witness then inquired why he said Cross the day before,
344 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
when he answered that if he said Cross, it was a mistake,
he meant Huse.
Wm. Crane, one of the auditors, testified that he found
that there should be $1,735 in the treasury, and asked
Ingalls to produce it. He replied that he would do what
he could, and brought forward $800, together with notes
amounting in all to #1,735.
Henry A. Huse, of Manchester, testified that he did not
know Ingalls, and never consulted with him in regard to
bondsmen holding over the second year.
Daniel Prescott, of Manchester, testified that, being called
upon by F. P. Brown, he went to Ingall's house and made
an examination of the premises. He spoke of a hole that
was bored in the panel of the door in one of the rooms, and
produced the handcuffs that were found on Ingalls. Witness
said he had experimented with them by tying himself to a
ladder, but could not get away alone.
Ingalls was placed on the stand and testified that he
asked Mr. Huse if a bond covered the appointment of a
person the second year. He answered that in his
opinion, it did.
John G. Mead and a Mr. Kelly, of Northwood, and Alonzo
Griffin, and Noah Davis, of Deerfield, testified that they saw
suspicious persons passing by their residences or near
Ingalls' place about the time of the robbery.
Frank P. Langford testified that three men called at his
house at East Candia at 2 o'clock, A. M., March 4, and inquired
the way to Hooksett,
Eldei James Adams, J. R. Batchelder, George C. Goss,
Jonathan Hobbs and several .others testified that Ingalls
bore a good reputation.
Frank P. Brown, one of the selectmen of the town, testi-
fied that by the desire of Ingalls, he employed D. R. Pres-
cott to make an investigation of the case. He also testified
that Ingalls bore a good reputation.
The above testimony in court was gleaned from a report
of the trial published in the Candia Banner, owned and
edited by J. J. Lane at the time. After arguments by
counsel on both sides, the case was given to the jury.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 345
They were unable to agree and stood six for conviction and
six for acquital.
A second trial of the case took place a few months after
the first, and the testimony was in most respects the same.
Ingalls' wife and young- child were present in the court
room and probably excited the sympathies of some of the
audience.
This trial, like the first, resulted in a disagreement of the
jury. They stood nine for acquital and three for conviction.
Ingalls, who was allowed to go at large without bail, re-
turned home.
Mr. Ingalls came to Candia in 1864 and sometime after-
wards found employment in A. D. Dudley's shoe manu-
factory. He was a Republican in politics during the first
period of his residen:e in this town, but became a Demo-
crat. He soon became quite popular, and joined the order
of the Free Masons and the Freewill Baptist church. He
was a very active politician and was chosen town clerk, a
member of the board of selectmen, and filled various other
offices In 1877, while he was serving as one of the select-
men, the other two members of the board appointed him
town treasurer. His bondsmen were Woodbury J. Dudley
and J. Harvey Philbrick. He was re-appointed in 1878.
When the late Benjamin Dearborn left the town to reside
in Chester, Mr. Ingalls bought his farm and residence in
the Village. He was married to a daughter of the late
Thomas R. Bean. She died, and some time afterwards, he
married her sister, another daughter of Mr. Bean He had
many very warm friends in the town who were unable to
believe that he was guilty of the charge brought against
him.
On the other hand, many citizens were of the opinion
that Mr. Ingalls became embarrassed in his business affairs
several months before the alleged robbery took place and
that, as a consequence, he was tempted to use some of
the public money from time to time with the intention of
returning it before the town absolutely needed it, to meet
its obligations; but, finding, at length, that full repayment
was impossible, he endeavored to escape from his dilemma
by pretending that he had been robbed. This class ot
346 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
citizens believed that he had a confederate who procured
the handcuffs and otherwise assisted him in his attempt to
make it appear that he had been the victim of burglars.
All persons, who have any interest in the case must form
their own theory as to why he seemed to be anxious to
make it appear that the law did not require him to furnish
new bonds when he was re-appointed treasurer.
DARK DAYS.
October 21, 1716, was a terribly dark day in New Eng-
land. Animals were greatly terrified and bi:ds at midday
went to rest. May 18, 1780, was also a day of great dark-
ness. The sun in the morning had a lurid and ghastly ap-
pearance and was soon obscured by clouds. Then there
was lightning and thunder, followed by rain containing
burnt matter with a smell of soot. At about eleven o'clock
it began to grow very da:k. The laborers in the fields
ceased work, the cattle came to the barns and the fowls
went to roost. Candles were lighted in the houses and the
people were greatly alarmed. Some believed that the day
of judgement had arrived, and dropped on their knees to
pray; but a few persons were cool and courageous.
The Connecticut State Legislature was in session at the
time, and a motion was made to adjourn. A Mr. Daven-
port, a member, arose and said "Mr. Speaker: — This is
either the day of judgement, or it is not. If it is not, there
is no need of adjourning. If it is, I desire to be found do-
ing my duty. I, therefore, move that candles be brought
in and that we proceed to business." The motion prevailed.
The following night was intensely dark, and it so con-
tinued until midnight, when a light breeze began to blow
from the northwest and, in a short time, the unusual dark-
ness was dispelled. On the following morning the sun
rose in great splendor.
In July, 1 8 14, there were two or three days of unusual
darkness, and July 15, 1818 was an intensely dark day in a
section of Canada bordering upon the gulf of St. Lawrence.
The 6th. day of September, 1881, was a day of darkness
that will be long remembered. The atmosphere was of a
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 347
yellow tinge and very smoky. Lamps were lighted, and
the flames were white like silver, while the grass and the
foliage on the trees appeared of a blueish green. Many of
the schools were closed for a few hours. This extraordi-
nary darkness occurred upon one of the days of the week
when public ceremonies in token of the sorrow of the peo-
ple on account of the death of President Garfield took place
in all the cities and large towns throughout the United
States.
Though some people have thought that the occasional
da^k days are due to volcanic action, it is now generally
believed that they are caused by great thick clouds of
smoke high up in the atmosphere above the earth, accom-
panied by dense fogs; and it is supposed that the smoke
comes from great forest fires in the north and west, or from
the burning of great peat bogs in Labrador. The smoke
and soot, uniting with the heavy fogs, form a thick stratum
in the atmosphere, that almost completely shuts out the
light of the sun. For several days before the dark day of
1780, the wind was blowing from the northeast.
ECLIPSES.
Upon June 1 6th, 1806, there was a total eclipse of the
sun. The total obscuration lasted about four minutes,
the stars appeared bright and sparkling in the sky, the cat-
tle came up from the pasture to the barn, much frightened,
and the fowls retired to their roosts. Some very ignorant
and superstitious people were greatly alarmed.
In February, 1831, there was an annular eclipse of the sun.
As the moon passed over its disk, the latter was so covered
that it appeared in the form of a beautiful narrow ring of
burnished gold. The public schools in our town were in
session at the time, and many of the pupils were supplied
with pieces of smoked glass, and were greatly delighted
and instructed by the wonderful display.
There have been many partial eclipses of the sun (.luring
the past one hundred and fifty years, but only one where
the luminary was completely covered.
348 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Eclipses of the moon haAre been frequent, and a consid-
erable number of them have been total.
TRANSITS OF VENUS.
During the latter part of the last century the planet Venus
passed between the earth and the sun. This very slight
eclipse of the sun was called a transit. European astromo-
mers of the time availed themselves of the event to measure
the distance of the earth from the sun by triangulation. On
account of the imperfection of the telescopes and other
instruments of the time the exact distance from the earth to
the sun was only approximately secured., before that time,
though it was considered to be about 95 millions of miles.
On December 6, 1882, another transit of Venus took
place, commencing at about 1 1 o'clock in the forenoon as
seen by the people living in the longitude of Candia, about
71 degrees west from Greenwich. The United States Gov-
ernment sent out parties of observation to various sections
of the earth, including points in the United States, equipped
with instruments of the most perfect sorts. Various Europe-
an governments also sent out parties of skilled scientists
to observe the transit. A temporary observatory was erect-
ed on Wilson's Hill in Manchester for theaccommodatian of
several scientific gentlemen and others belonging to that
city and elsewhere. The forenoon of the day was cloudy,
but at midday the sky became clear, and many saw the
transit through smoked glass. About seven years after-
wards another transit of Venus took place, but it was invis-
ible to the people of New England.
COMETS.
A large number of comets have appeared in the heavens
at various times within the historic period, the most of
which, being at an immense distance from the earth, were
apparently small, while a few others were of great magni-
tude. Within recent years the grandest and most important
celestial visitor of this kind was Donati's comet, so called
n h onor of its discoverer. This comet appeared in October,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 349
1858. It was from twenty to thirty degrees in length, and
its tail was somewhat curved; It shone with great brilliancy
a few days and then gradually disappeared not to return,
perhaps, for hundreds of years.
In the summer of 1S61, another comet apparently of
much smaller dimensions appeared high up in the heavens
in the northeast, about thirty degrees from the zenith.
During the next ten years there appeared three or four
comets of moderate size.
In the winter of 18S2, another magnificant comet appeared
in the southeast. It seemed to be about five-sixths the
size of Donati's comet. It rose about 2 o'clock in the
morning, and many left their beds to witness the wonder-
ful display. This comet finally slowly faded away in the
southwest.
METEORS.
Meteors, or shooting stars, have been observed in all
ages and in all parts of the earth. In ordinary cases thty
come singly, bnt sometimes they come in vast showers,
covering: the entire skv from the zenith to the horizon. Such
exhibitions occurred in 1202, 1366, 1799, 1803 and 1833
and at various other periods. The display of 1803, as ob-
served in Virginia, was at its maximum about 3 o'clock in
the morning. The alarm of fire had called out many ot
the inhabitants of Richmond, so that the phenomena was
generally witnessed. The meteors seemed to fall from
every point in the heavens, in such numbers as to resemble
a shower of sky rockets. Some were of extraordinary size.
One, in particular, appeared to fall from the zenith of the
apparent size of a ball 18 inches in diameter.
The great meteoric display of 1833, which took place on
the morning of r\ov. 13 was one of the finest ever witnessed
in America. This display was observed from the West
Indies to British America, and from 60 to 100 degrees west
longitude from Greenwich. Many people now living in
Candia enjoyed the extraordinary and truly wonderful dis-
play. .
350 HISTORY Ot CANDIA.
AEROLITES..
Many of the oldest people now living in Candia have
seen, at rare intervals, balls of fire passing across the
heavens, leaving a train of brilliant light behind. These balls
of fire which generally appeared to pass horizontally across
the sky were unlike the ordinary meteors or shooting stars
and contained a vastly greater quantity of matter in the
solid form, which at last reached the earth in fragments of
various dimensions and weight. These solid bodies are
called aerolites. Many instances of the fall of aerolites
have been recorded in various countries and at various
times.
It is related that, in the year 478 B. C. , about the time
when Socrates was born, a solid mass of matter of the size
of two millstones fell in Thrace.
An immense aerolite fell into a branch of the river Tiber
in Italy, in 821 A. D. , and projected three or four feet above
the water.
In 151 1, a monk was struck dead at Crema, Italy, by the
fall of a fragment of meteoric rock of immense weight.
Ir 1674, two Swedish sailors were killed on shipboard by
the fall of an aerolite.
Dec. 14, 1807, a large meteor exploded over the town of
Weston, Conn. The meteor when first seen seemed t© be
half the diameter of the full moon and had a train of light
like a burning fire brand. It continued in sight about half
a minute and three loud reports like those of a four pounder
near at hand were heard. The appearance of the meteor
was as if it took three successive throes or leaps, and at
each explosion a rushing of stones through the air was
heard, some of which struck the earth. The first fall was
in the town of Huntington, those of the second explosion
fell five miles distant in Weston, and at, the last explosion
a mass of stone supposed to weigh two-hundred pounds,
fell in a field a few rods from the residence of a Mr. Seely.
It plowed up the ground and scattered the earth and stones
to the distance of nearly a hundred feet. Some of the frag-
ments of this aerolite now belong to the mineralogical
cabinets of Dartmouth and Yale colleges.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 35 I
Aerolites of great size have fallen in Ohio, New Jersey,
Texas and various other states of the Union.
A very large aerolite which fell in Texas was among- the
curiosities at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, in
1876. It had the form of an irregular, jagged ring and
weighed over 1,500 pounds. One in the British Museum
weighs upwards of a ton. These meteors consist of matter
much resembling iron which has been melted and then
cooled.
It was formerly conjectured that aerolites were thrown up
from the earth or moon by volcanoes. This theory has
long since been abandoned and it is now almost universal-
ly believed by scientists that they are small bodies which
have been formed from the nebulous or gaseous matter
which floats in space and, becoming consolidated in solid
spheres, come within the attractive force of the earth and
fall upon it.
This theory was in accordance with the nebular hypo-
thesis first formed and announced by Laplace, the cele-
brated French astromomer, to the effect that our earth and
other worlds once existed in the form of a vast revolv-
ing nebular mass of matter like a haze or cloud, and, that
this mass gradually became cooled and condensed, and, in
obedience to chemical and other physical laws, successive
rings of matter were formed, which, subsequently became
incandescent spheres, then planets, sateleites and other
celestial bodies. It is now claimed that by the spectro-
scope, new worlds may be seen in the process of forma-
tion.
NORTHERN LIGHTS.
Many very brilliant and remarkable displays of the au-
roraborealis have been witnessed in this town. In some
of them the rays were of various hues, white, red and
green, and other tints, with streams of light stretching to the
zenith. In the winter of 1836, there was a very peculiar
display at a time when the ground was covered with snow
and the sky was partially obscured by fogs. The great
streams of light which shot up into the sky were mostly
352 HI STORY OF CAND 1 A.
of a red color, and the snow upon the ground and the
vapors in the air became very red like the reflections of a
great conflagration. In 1839 there was another dazzling
display of northern lights of various colors. In some there
was a crackling, noise
STORMS.
During many of the summers which have come and gone
since the town was settled there have been many terriffic
thunder storms. One of the most remarkable of these vis-
ited the town in July, 1844. The forenoon of the day had
been very hot and sultry. At about one o'clock in the
afternoon great black clouds were seen gathering in the
west in the direction of Kearsarge Mountain in Warner.
Soon the great clouds grew blacker and rose higher and
higher, until the great mass stretched across the whole
western horizon, — a space of more than twenty miles. The
great mass, which seemed at first to move slowly, became
blacker and more dense. The perpendicular lightning
flashes became more and more vivid and frequent, and the
peals of thunder louder and louder, until at length Hall's
mountain was reached, and, in the space of half a minute,
was completely covered from sight. As the storm passed
through the town, the rain fell in great torrents and the
great sheets of lightning flashed with intermissions of less
than half a minute and the thunders roared peal on peal for
more than half an hour without the least cessation. Many
people were greatly frightened and seemed to wonder that
they escaped without injury. While the storm was at its
height the lightning struck a tree in the Village near the
present residence of Dea. Jacob S. Morrill and from thence
to a shoemaker's shop in which the late Benjamin Taylor
and the late Ezekiel Gilman were at work. Both these men
were stunned and Mr. Taylor's shoes were torn from his
feet, but neither were seriously injured. There have been
many such thunder storms in the town like that which is
here described, and in some of them buildings have been
struck and burned, sheep and cattle have been destroyed,
but no person has been killed.
J. LANE FITTS.
Sketch, page 518.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 353
Some of the thunder storms were accompanied by
hail. In August, 185 1, a tremendous shower passed over
Pembroke, Allenstown^ Hooksett, Candia and many other
towns in the vicinity. This shower was accompanied by
incessant flashes of lightning and heavy thunder. The
rain fell in torrents, and when the storm was at its full
height hail began to descend and soon the ground was
completely covered. Many of the hailstones were nearly
as large as hens' eggs. In many places great damage was
done to crops and the glass in many windows was
broken.
Speaking of showers, one is reminded that some of the
older persons in town of a very religious turn of mind used
to tell the children, many years ago, that the thunder
heard in a storm was God's voice.
THE SEPTEMBER GALE.
On the 23d of September, 181 5, the famous September
gale. occurred. The wind .blew with great velocity over
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and vicinity for about four
hours and many buildings were unroofed or blown down
and a great amount of damage was done to fruit trees and
forests.
TORNADOES.
On Sunday, Sept. 9, 1821, a great tornado or whirlwind
passed over various towns in Merrimack and Sullivan coun-
ties, including Croydon, Sutton, Wendell, now Sunapee,
New London and Warner. Several persons were killed and
a considerable number were much injured. The tornado
had a whirling motion and cut a clean path about half a
mile wide through forests striking down the trees of all
sorts and sizes. Buildings were blown down and the air was
filled with broken limbs of trees and various other mater-
ials. The thunder rolled fearfully and the forked lightning
flashed on the intense darkness. In its passage many objects,
some of which were quite large and heavy, were taken
23
354 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
high up in the air. Many marks of the great tornado are
still visible in the towns mentioned.
On a Sunday afternoon, during the summer of 1881, the
town was struck by the rear end of a great tornado which
visited Gilmantown and towns in the vicinity and caused
considerable damage. The storm came down from Hall's
mountain with incredible velocity and passed over Candia
in the space of about twenty minutes, but no damage was
done in this town. It was accompanied by ligntning and
heaw thunder.
THE COLD SUMMER.
The spring and summer of 18 16 were very cold and
backward in a large section of New England. There were
heavy frosts in many places during every one of the sum"
mer months. In the latter part of the season but little rain
fell and crops suffered on that account, as well as from the
frost. The most of the farmers in Candia raised but little
corn, and what they did raise was stunted and of the p.oor-
est quality. It was mostly pig corn. Some of the farmers
on High Street and other elevated lands were more fortu-
nate. Esq. Daniel Fitts raised a fair crop in his fields on
the Plain. In the spring of the next year it was a difficult
matter for most of the farmers to procure good corn for
planting. Esq. Fitts sold a large number of bushels for
1his purpose, and it is said that he had much sympathy for
those who had no seed corn of their own and supplied a
large number at a very moderate price. There were good
crops of rye, wheat and potatoes, but the hay crop was
very light. The spring and summer of 1817 were quite
warm, and great crops of all kinds were raised
COLD WINTERS.
The winters of 1836 and 1846 were intensely cold. In
some places the meicury in the thermometer went down to
from thirty-five to forty degrees below zero. In both the
years referred to, Boston harbor was covered wilh ice more
than a foot thick for four or five weeks as far down as the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 355
lower light house, a distance of nine or ten miles and ves-
sels could neither come in nor go out. The British mail
steamer Brittania, which was advertised to sail for Liverpool
on Feb. 18, 1845, was completely hemmed in at her
berth at East Boston ten days before that date. During
the last three or four days of January, a great gang of men,
with cutting machines attached to horses, opened a wide
cnannel for the ship to pass out to the ocean. The ice was
sawed and cut into great blocks, each of which was drawn
under the remaining ice at the sides of the channel. The
great vessel sailed promptly on time in the presence of a
great multitude of people who gathered on the ice and
loudly cheered the passengers and crew. Many young
men followed the vessel two or three miles, but found it
impossible to keep up with her.
There have been several days within the last sixty
years that have been colder than the cold Friday of 18 10,
but there was but little wind blowing at the time and the
cold therefore did not seem as intense as it was on the for-
mer occasion. In some of the past years the snow has re-
mained upon the ground until the middle of April. In view
of this fact some brilliant genius of former days declared
that people were favored with six weeks' sledding in the
month of March. In 1843, there was a great snow storm
about the 20th of October The weather was cold and the
sleighing was excellent for about a week.
TREES ENCASED IN ICE.
Sometimes a very cold day in winter is followed by a
rapid rise of temperature and a gentle rain. In such cases
the frozen sap in the inside of the tender boughs and twigs
of the trees and shrubbery congeals the water that adheres
to the bark on the outside and forms a coating of ice of
various degrees of thickness. When the rain clouds dis-
appear and the sun shines brightly all the trees seem to be-
completely covered with glittering diamonds, reflecting all
the colors of the rainbow. Nothing on earth can be grand-
er or more sublime and beautiful than an exhibition like
this.
356 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
As the weather grows warmer, the sparkling gems begin
to fall in great masses with a crash upon the thick crust of
the snow, producing a metallic ring or jingle, quite pleasing
to a person of musical taste.
It has frequently happened that the great weight of the
ice upon the trees has broken off many of their branches
and nearly caused their destruction. In the winter of 1885,
there was a very remarkable period of the kind referred to and
the ice formed upon the trees was thicker and heavier than
ever known before. Many fruit and shade trees in the
town were greatly damaged. The three old chestnut trees,
which have been standing a great many years in the pas-
ture formerly owned by Nathan Carr on High Street, oppo-
site the old cemetery, were very badly damaged. Various
branches near their tops were completely broken off. Since
that time, nature has kindly come to the relief of the old
trees by partially healing their wounds and by starting new
branches to take the place of those which were destroyed,
and it now seems probable that their obituaries will be
written, if written at all, by some antiquarian of a generation
many years in the future.
DROUGHTS.
Since the town has been settled there have been many
very dry seasons, some of which were very severe.
In 1826, there was a long continued drought throughout
the state and the crops were much injured. During the
succeeding winter, Samuel Anderson, the tavern keeper on
the turnpike, paid $20 per ton for first-class English hay.
The drought continued until about the 2 2d day of August,
when a heavy rain set in and continued for several days.
In 1854, a great drought prevailed all over the northern
part of the United States east of the Mississippi river. No
rain fell of any account in New Hampshire from the 4th day
of July until the middle of August. At the annual meeting
of the New Hampshire Association of Congregational
Ministers, which was held in August of that year, there was
a special season of prayer for rain, and a considerable num-
ber of ministers earnestly prayed to God to send copious
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 357
showers of rain forthwith. After a few more days of with-
ering drought, the long needed rain came in great abun-
dance. There was a great drought in the summer of 1882.
During the fall and winter of 1885 there was but little rain
jn the state, and the water in the ponds and streams be-
came remarkably low. The Merrimack river became so
reduced that much of the work in the mills in Manchester,
Nashua and Lowell was stopped. In 1891, the drought was
again severe, many wells in Candia became dry and many
people suffered much inconvenience. In the summer and
autumn of that year many farmers had to go a long dis-
tance to get water for their cattle.
FRESHETS.
There were great freshets in New Hampshire in 1826,
1835,-and in May and October of 1869, and also in several
other years. Bridges were carried away and much
damage was done. On the 26th of August, 1826, the
famous great slide in the Notch in the White Mountain
region occurred by which the Willey family was over-
whelmed and destroyed. During the long drought, the soil
on the sides of Mount Willard became dry like powder all
the way down to the solid rock of which the mountain was
composed. When the rain came at last, the upper portion
of the soil became so saturated with water and so heavy
that it slipped in a great, wide mass from the underlying
rocky ledge and carried a great forest of trees together with
boulders and gravel to the valley below.
GRASSHOPPERS
About the 10th of August, 1826, great clouds of grass-
hoppers appeared in Candifc and nearly all other sections
of the state. They flew in great masses several hundred
feet above the earth as thick as snowflakes. In some places
they alighted and destroyed corn and other crops, and in
some cases they were gathered up in baskets by the far-
mers; but the people of our town were not so unfortunate.
In 1885, these insects came again to some of the farming
35^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
towns- in the state, particularly in Merrimack county, caus-
ing much injury to crops. Some of the farmers at that
place, who were greatly troubled by the pests, swept them
together in great quantities and destroyed them.
THE BIG CHIMNEYS, FIRE-PLACES, ETC.
It has already been stated that the early settlers of the
town first lived in dwellings built of of logs. These dwell-
ings or cabins i ad stone chimneys with great fire-places.
Two pieces of wood called cross-bars were fitted into them
to support a "lug pole", so called, made of green maple
or beech wood, to which the " pot hooks " and " trammels "
were attached. The pot hooks and trammels on which the
pots and kettles were hung were so constructed that they
could be moved up and down at will. The ovens were
built in beyond the back of the fire place
In the course of a few years the people of the town pro-
vided themselves with better houses in all respects. These
were generally of one story, with two front rooms, in the
rear of which there was a large kitchen and a bedroom at
each end.
The old two-story houses which were erected from eighty
to one-hundred and thirty years ago were furnished with
chimneys which contained a vast quantity of brick. The
base of the chimney in the cellar was often ten or twelve
feet in diameter. At the base of some of these there was
frequently one and sometimes two great brick arches which
formed the top and sides of a good sized room for storing
potatoes and other vegetables. Forty thousand bricks were
often required for building the largest of the chimneys here
described. There were two big chimneys in the tavern
which stood for many years on the old Chester turnpike in
Hooksett' about a mile west of the boundary line between
that town and Candia. In the larger chimney there were
forty thousand bricks and in the smaller one thirty- eight
thousand. Among some of the largest of the old chimneys
in Candia are those of the old Benjamin Bean house on the
hill northeast of the Village, the old B. Pillsbury Colby house
near the Corner, the dwelling house of Mrs. Abraham Fitts,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 359
built by Daniel Fitts, Esq., the old Master Fitts house, now
John F. Patten's, and the house which belonged to the late
Maj. Nathan Brown. The cost of the bricks of which these
chimneys were built, probably was about four dollars a
thousand besides the cost of hauling them ten miles from
the brick yard. By far the greatest proportion of the bricks
that have been used in Candia ever since the town was
settled were brought from Pembroke.
The fire-places were large enough to burn wood four feet
long. The great ovens were a great improvement'on those
i i the log cabin which preceded them. In making a fire, a
back log from a foot to a foot and a half in diameter was
first placed at the back of the fire-place On the top of that
was placed a stick of wood, seven or eight inches thick,
called the backstick; then, in front, was placed the fores^ick,
about five inches thick. Five or six sticks of small and
well seasoned hard wood with kindlings completed the pile.
When all these materials were ablaze, a great amount of
heat was the result. In the earliest days, the forestick was
often supported by small stones, but later on, andirons
came into general use.
OLD STYLE AND NEW STYLE.
The two natural divisions of time are the day of 24
hours representing one revolution of the earth upon its
axis, and the year of 365 days, approximately represent-
ing one revolutfon of the earth around the sun. The month
represents nearly the period of the moon's revolution
around the earth, (about 29 1-2 days,) while the week is
approximately one-fourth of this. By the Julian calendar,
established by Julius Caesarr, 46 years B. C. , the year had
365 1-4 days, so that its length exceeded the true solar year
by 11 minutes and 14 seconds, causing the vernal equinox
in the course of centuries to fall back several days. To
correct this error, Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582 altered the
calendar so as to nearly conform to the true solar year.
The Protestant countries of Europe and America were un-
willing to adopt the new calendar because of its Popish
360 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
origin and continued to hold on to the Julian system, on,
old style, as it was called.
At length in 1752, the British Parliament adjusted the
calendar by providing that eleven days should be taken out
of September, 1782, by calling the 3d day of that month the
14th, and that the year 1754 should commence with the 1st
day of January. Also that every fourth year, a day should
be added to the month of February. This was called new
style. The former mode, or old style of reckoning time,
prevails when Chester and Candia were first settled.
When the change was made there was much confusion in
endeavoring to make the dates as reckoned by the old
style conform to those reckoned by the new.
THE NEW STANDARD TIME.
As the earth revolves on its axis at the rate of over 1,000
miles an hour, the true or solar time at any one place can-
not at that moment be the same at any other place that is
situated on another degree of longitude. When it is noon
in London it is fourteen minutes past seven in the forenoon
at Boston, and three minutes before four o'clock in the morn-
ing at San Francisco. The true or solar time at one end of
a line of railroad extending from east to west greatly differs
from that at the other end at the same moment. Hence
there was formerly much perplexity and confusion in run-
ning railroad trains upon long lines extending east and west,
where the clocks and watches were set according to the
solar time in each.
To avoid this difficulty, four standard meridians were
adopted within the limits of the United States, in 1884, by
general agreement and partial legislation, by which rail-
way trains are run and local time is regulated. These
meridians are 15 degrees apart, there being a difference of
just one hour in time from one to another, as there are 360
degrees in the earth's circumference, which, divided by 24,
gives 15 degrees to an hour.
The "territory of the United States, thus divided, extends
from the boundary line between the British Provinces in
the east to the Pacific ocean in the west. The first or cast-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 36 I
em meridian extends from the longitude of Eastport, Me.,
near the eastern boundary line of the United States, to the
longitude of Sandusky, Ohio. The second, or central
meridian, extends from the longitude of Sandusky to the
longitude of Yankton, Dakota. The third, or mountain
meridian, extends from the longitude of Yankton, to that of
Salt Lake City, Utah, and the fourth, or Pacific meridian,
extends from the longitude of Salt Lake City to the Pacific
ocean. The standard time for the people living within the
limits of the several meridians is the solar or true time at
the centre of each, and the difference between the solar and
standard time at any place must vary according to its
distance from that point. Eastport, Me., is situated 7 1-2
degrees of longitude east of New York, and when it is noon
in the latter city it is 30 minutes past 12 o'clock in East-
port by solar time. At the longitude of Sandusky, Ohio,
it is half past n o'clock by the true time, when it is 12
o'clock or noon in New York by both solar and standard or
railway time.
As Candia is situated a little more than 4 degrees east of
New York city, the standard or railway time for the town is
a little more than 14 minutes behind the solar or true time.
In other words, when it is 12 o'clock by standard time it is
about 15 minutes past 12 by the solar or true time.
METHODS OF COOKING.
Before the year 1820 the cooking in the family was done
over or before the fire in the fire-place and in the oven.
Beef, lamb, pork ribs, turkeys and other fowls were
roasted before the great blazing fire or baked on the oven.
If fowis or pieces of meat were to be roasted, they often
were hung before the fire by a piece of strong twine, to a
nail attached to a beam in the ceiling. The materials to be
cooked were turned round and basted from time to time
until they were done and fit for the table. Pots of beans,
puddings, brown bread and cake of all kinds were cooked
in the oven. Sometimes a corn or rye bannock or cakes
made of flour were baked before the fire, the pan or plate
in which they were placed being supported by a flatiron or
362 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
a brick. Potatoes were often roasted In the fire-place in a
bed of hot ashes. At length, the Dutch oven was in >-
duced. This was a shallow cast iron kettle. The arti s
to be baked were placed in the kettle over the fire and
ered with a cast iron basin filled with live coals. The Di 1
oven was followed by the tin kitchen, which was used x-
clusively for roasting meat and poultry. This utensil was
placed before a hot fire and the meat or poultry which was
attached to a spit were turned from time to time as became
necessary.
A cooking apparatus called the tin baker was introdu< :d
into the town about the year 1830. It consisted of a tin box
about eighteen inches long. The bottom, about a foot
wide was set upon legs and inclined at an angle of about
22 1-2 degrees. The back, which was four or five inch :s
wide, was fitted with a hinge. The top was inclined at an
angle similar to the bottom and a sheet iron pan was sus-
pended between them. When the baker was set before the
fire the inclined faces of polished tin reflected the heated
rays to the top and bottom of the pan tnat contained the
material to be baked.
Many of the families fried their salt pork and fresh meats
of all kinds in a cast iron pan, a foot or more in diameter,
to which was attached an iron handle five or six feet long.
By the use of the long handle the pan could be placed over
or taken off the hot fire by the good house-wife without
danger of being burned.
About the year 1820, the patent fire place, so called, was
introduced into the town. The device consisted of a sort
of cast iron fire place which was set inside the larger brick
fire place close up to the back of the chimney. The top
connecting the sides was in the form of an iron shelf a foot
or more in width. In front of the outer edge of the shelf
and connected with it throughout its entire length there was
a perpendicular iron plate from six to eight inches in width.
When there was a brisk fire the iron sides and shelf ab-
sorbed a considerable amount of heat by which the room
became more comfortable than before. The shelf beingquite
hot was a convenient place for warming and keeping warm
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 363
food already cooked. When cooking- stoves were intro-
duced the patent fire-place went out of fashion.
In some of the oldest houses in the town which were
built more than a hundred years ago, the old fire-places
around which the fathers and mothers and the children
of those earlier times sat, still remain with the iron
cranes, pot hooks, trammels and all; but the shining brass
andirons which graced the sitting-rooms of the more gen-
teel and wealthy families are seen no more, neither are the
lonir-handled iron shovels with which the hot coals were
removed from the big ovens after they had been properly
heated for baking the beans, the bread and pies of former
days. Parlor stoves came into general use many years
after the cooking stoves were introduced, but, at this date
they may be found in the houses of all well-to-do families.
The invention ot the stove has saved a great amount of
labor and promoted the comfort of the people in a very
high degree. A hundred years ago, the brass warming
pan with long, highly finished handles was considered an
article of prime neccessity in all well-to-do families. Elder-
lv people and invalids belonging to this class had their
beds made warm and comfortable in very cold weather
with warming pans filled with hot coals from the fire-place.
Those persons who could not afford to own one of these
pans were obliged to content themselves with a hot brick
covered with an old blanket or a junk bottle filled with hot
water.
BORROWING FIRE.
Until within about fifty years people were frequently put
to considerable inconvenience when the fire in the fire-
place became extinguished: In such cases one of the boys
or girls was sent with a tin lantern containing a tallow
candle to one of the neighbors for a supply of the needed
element. With the lighted candle the messenger hastened
home and soon there was a blazing fire upon the hearth.
In the olden times this proceeding was called borrowing
fire. It doth not appear that the borrowers ever honestly
and honorably returned the fire they borrowed.
364 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
When fire was lost and there were no near neighbors a
flint was struck upon a piece of steel over a small quantity
of tinder made of burnt rags placed in a tinder box made of
tin. The spark upon the tinder was raised to a flame by-
touching it with the end of a match which had been dipped
in melted sulphur. Friction matches made of sulphur,
phosphorous and other materials first came into general use
about the year 1838. The secret of making lucifer matches
was discovered three or four years earlier, but inasmuch
they were a great deal more expensive than the friction
match of the present day their sale was limited.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT.
Until within about sixty or seventy years the most
of the houses were lighted at night with tallow cand-
les. When the town was first settled and but few cat-
tle were raised some people could not afford to furnish
themselves with candles but a small part of the time and
so they depended largely upon pine knots or white birch
bark which they found in the woods. These thrown upon
the fire, made a brilliant light by which the women sewed,
knit and spun, and the boys and girls read and studied
their lessons, or played fox and geese and otherwise enter-
tained themselves. When some important work required
the use of a candle it was blown out when the work was
finished. In later times, whale oil which gave a much
better light was used in many families Then came a com-
bustible material called burning fluid which often exploded
the lamps and caused many fatal accidents. About the
year 1856, just about the the time when whales were be-
coming scarce in the ocean, the great reservoirs of petrol-
eum in Pensylvania and other middle states which had
been stored far down beneath the rocky crust of the earth
many thousands of years ago were discovered. Wells were
bored through the hard ro:k to a depth of one or two
thousand feet and the oil spouted forth in quantities almost
incredible. The oil, in the refined state, is kerosene which
is one of the greatest of blessings to mankind.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 365
GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS.
During the first few years after the settlement of the town
the ceilings in the sitting-rooms and kitchens were made of
well-matched pine boards, each of which was often two
feet wide. There were long poles overhead, supported
by hooks fastened to the great beams. Upon these there
were hung stockings and various other articles of dress,
bunches of yarn, and in the fall and winter, there were long
strings of peeled and quartered apples, also a goodly num-
ber of great crooked neck squashes. There were no Brussels
carpets in those days, but the floors were generally kept
well scoured and sanded, and everything wore a very neat
and tidy appearance in the houses of the industrious and
enterprising people of the town.
In the early days all persons at the table helped them-
selves from the dishes of meat, beans, pudding, bread etc.,
which were set in the middle of the table. There were no
tumblers and all drank from one mug containing water or
cider. One of the most prominent features of house-keep-
ing of this class seventy or one-hundred years ago was a
piece of furniture called the " dressers." This consisted of
a large, well-finished, hard wood, open cupboard which
extended from the floor to the ceiling. Upon the tiers of
shelves there was a great quantity of pewter ware consist-
ing of plates, mugs, tea pots, basins and great platters,
fifteen inches in diameter. The plates and platters were
set up singly on their edges tipping backwards towards the
wall and the whole arrangement made a very fine appear-
ance.
Many of the people of the town were very fond of tea
and coffee but they could not always afford to purchase
these luxuries for every day use. As a substitute for coffee,
rye, roasted well and ground, was used in many familes.
Chocolate was also a favorite drink, but that was also
somewhat expensive, and avens root, which grew in many
of the meadows, was used as a substitute. From this cir-
cumstance, avens root was commonly called chocolate
root. A very palatable beverage can be made from the
root, but it has seldom been used in latter days.
366 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Some families of the poorer class had wooden plates for
every day use as late as the year 1825. A few years after
that date, when earthern crockery became plenty and com-
paratively cheap, the wooden plates and the dressers with
the pewter ware almost wholly disappeared.
The sweeping of the rooms until about the year 1830 was
done with brooms made of green hemlock boughs taken
from the trees in the w ods and pastures when wanted.
The women or the larger children went "brooming" once
a week or ten days, except in winter when a stock of
boughs was brought to the house and often laid over the
potatoes in the cellar to aid in keeping them from freezing.
It required considerable ingenuity to make a serviceable
broom of this kind and tie it securely to the end of the
broomstick. A parcel of boughs well trimmed and care-
fully placed over one another with the sides which had
been exposed to the weather as they grew on the tree laid
upwards. Then the pile was divided into two equal parts
and tied to each side of the broomstick with their inner
sides facing each other When the broom became old and
worn out it was used to sweep the ashes and embers from
the great oven upon baking days, when there was a very
merry crackling and snapping of the burning twigs and
tiny leaves of the broom, much resembling the explosion
of a great bunch of Chinese crackers on the evening of a
fourth of July celebration.
Many of the first framed houses were simply boarded on
the outside but not clapboarded, and previous to the year
1830 a small number only were painted. At that date there
was not a single painted house on the North Road and not
more than three or four on High Street above the Congre-
gational meeting-house. Since 1830 the increased prosperi-
ty of the people is demonstrated by the greatly improved
condition of their dwelling-houses and outbuildings. A
large proportion of the houses in the town are now well
painted.
Among the great improvements which have been made
within the last hundred years are those relating to the break-
ing up of the soil The plows were first made by car-
penters in the town. They had very long, straight handles.
HISTORY OF CAXDIA. 367
Afterwards the handles were split out of a tree which had a
short bend. The mould boards were of wood, plated with
va ious pieces of sheet or wrought iron. Since 1830, plows
nave been greatly perfected by skilled workmen nd man-
u a tured in large quantities by companies and firms
< uni/.ed for that purpose.
\ ious to 1800, there were no iron or steel shovels in
t town. Wooden shovels were made of red oak and the
s were shod with plated iron. These were called shod
s Pixels. Scythes, hoes and pitchforks were made by the
Common blacksmith previous to seventy or eighty years
a o. They were very rude and clumsy. Soon after that
■ implements of a much better quality were manu-
factured on a large scale by firms and companies organized
for that purpose.
Previous to 18 10, there were no swings for shoeing oxen.
Bi lore thai time, the oxen were thrown down upon a bed
of straw in the barn and turned upon their backs. One
man held their heads and the fore and hind legs were tied
together so that they crossed each other between the knees
and ankles The blacksmith then shod them in that po-
sition with shoes that had been previously prepared*. Some
of the blacksmiths of that day were in the habit of p-oing1
from place to place with shoes, nails, hammers, etc., and
shoe oxen for the farmers on their premises.
CRUELTY. TO ANIMALS.
It may be stated here that seventy years ago or less a
few of the farmers in the town were too stupid or shiftless
to take pains to see that their cattle, horses and swine were
well protected from the extreme cold weather in winter.
The boards which had been nailed to the frames of their
barns had become so shrunken that there were cracks be-
tween them an inch or more in width, through which the
wind passed, causing the poor brutes to shiver through the
long nights with the mercury in the thermometer often be-
low zero. The most of the farmers of the early days
seldom provided bedding for their cows and oxen to any
great extent, but compelled them to lie upon the hard floor.
368 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The hogs, belonging to some of the indolent and unfeeling
farmers, were frequently confined in pens where they were
poorly protected from the cold, and worse still, they were
sometimes half starred upon a diet which consisted largely
of skimmed milk in very limited quantities, or dishwater
with a few small potatoes or potatoe peelings thrown in.
The bill of fare was sometimes changed by putting into the
swill a pint or so of cob meal in lieu of the potatoes. It
was no wonder that, under these circumstances, the hoe's
squealed uproarously half the time during the day and
a part of the night.
For several years previous to 1830, it was the fashion
with some of the citizens of the town to mutilate their
horses by cutting off their tails so as to leave them only six
or eight inches long, in imitation of the people of England
who admired bob-tailed horses. This was not only a pain-
ful operation but it robbed the horse of its only protection
against the flies in summer. There was another custom
still more barbarous which -consisted first, :j> severing the
muscles on the under side of the tail of the horse, next to
bring the end of the tail to a perpendicular line above the
back of the horse and confine it to a pully attached to a
beam in the scaffold. The horse was made to stand in
that painful position for several days and until the wounds
inflicted upon him were healed. All this was done to make
the horse carry a high tail.
The people of Candia as a whole have no doubt treated
their animals as well, and possibly better than those of
many other towns, but there is, nevertheless, room for
improvement in this respect, for there are always some
people who are utterly indifferent to the sufferings of the
dumb creatures which come into their posession. Within
the last few years, the public mind in many cities and large
towns has been directed to this point and societies for the
prevention of cruelty to animals have been organized and
laws have been enacted for the punishment of the guilty in
this respect. It ought to be universally understood through-
out the length and breadth of the land that no man is en-
titled to respect who is guilty of inflicting unnecessary
suffering upon the brute creation. Cowper, the English
THOMAS LANG, JR.
Sketch, page 517.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 369
poet, whose works were well known to the more advanced
pupils in the schools of Candia seventy years ago was right
when he wrote " I would not enter upon my list of friends
the name of one who would needlessly step his foot upon a
worm. "
PICTURES.
There were but few pictures in the houses of the people
of the town previous to the year 1835, except the engrav-
ings and wood cuts in the school books and those which
belonged to the social libraries and a few private citizens.
About that time, the art of making excellent engravings
upon stone at a comparatively small expense was discov-
ered. By this method, which was called lithography, land-
scapes, portraits, representations of historical events, por-
traits of celebrated persons, etc., were produced and sold
in large quantities all over the country. A considerable
number of these pictures were brought to our town and
decorated the walls of rooms in many dwellings. At a
later date many of this kind of engravings were painted
over with water colors, and then in oil colors of many
tints. The art was improved from time to time, until the
finest specimens, to a great extent, resemble the oil printings
of the best artists, both in drawing and coloring. These
paintings were called chromos and this branch of art has
been a great advantage to those who were unable to pur-
chase original oil paintings of value as well as a means of
educating the tastes of the people.
PORTRAITS.
Many years ago the only representations of the features
of persons in town were the old-fashioned profiles, some-
times called silhouettes, which were cut with scissors in
black silk or paper, one side of which was colored black.
A skilled artist could draw a correct profile at sight; but the
method commonly pursued was to draw the profile by an
instrument consisting of a small rod of about four feet long
24
37° HISTORY OF CAXDIA.
hung horizontally upon a pivot about five inches from one
of its ends. A pencil was inserted in the short end of the
rod and when the long; end was passed carefully over the
features of the sitter an excellent profile likeness in minia-
ture was traced by the pencil upon a sheet of paper attach-
ed to a board standing in a perpendicular position.
Between the years 1843 an(-l ^50 the author of this histo-
ry painted from life the portraits of a considerable number
of the people of Candia in oil or crayon of the size of life
and a much larger number of cabinet size.
In 1838, Daguerre, a French artist and scientist who
lived in Paris, discovered the art of fixing upon a polished
plate of silver the reflection or image of any object which
was transmitted to it through the lens of a camera. The
invention was first applied to the taking of pictures of land-
scapes, buildings and other objects in still life. The first
exhibition in America of Daguerre's process of making
pictures in the manner referred to was given in New York
city and Boston in the winter of 1839. The exhibit in Bos-
ton was made in the old Masonic Temple on Tremont
Street, and the first picture was a view of Park Street church.
The pictures of this kind were called daguerreotypes in hon-
or of the discoverer of the process. A considerable time
elapsed before the new process was sufficiently perfected
to take likenesses of persons. The first likenesses were
quite crude and dim and a person was required to sit about
six minutes.
In the course of two or three years, however, beautiful
miniatures were produced and artists in this line were well
patronized. The first daguerreotypes ever taken in Candia
were the work of a man who came to town with a large sa-
loon, or operating room, on wheels, about the year 1848.
He located himself on the common near the Congregation-
al church.
About the year 1853, it was found that a negative of a
person or any other object could be taken upon a plate ot
glass covered with collodion and a solution of silver, ami a
positive picture could be printed on paper by sunlight. After
a negative was once secured, the picture called photograph
could be duplicated to any extent desired.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 37 1
WALL DECORATIONS.
About the year 1825, the walls of one or two rooms in
a few houses of the most thrifty citizens were decorated
with paper hangings of an inferior quality as compared
with those of a modern date. Since that time paper hang-
ings of a much improved quality, both in design and finish,
have been introduced into most of the houses in the town.
In 1825, a very ingenious young man named Stephen Bad-
ger came to Candia from Amesbury and resided here for a
few months. While here he carved from a block of
black cherry wood two figures or statuettes, each about a
foot in height. One of the figures represented LaFayette
and the other John Quincy Adams, the President of the
United States at the time. He also painted in fresco or
water colors the walls of the west room in Dr. Wheat's
house, now owned. and occupied by Albert Bean. The
pictures represented landscapes, with mountains in the
backgrounds, lakes and also representations of men, wom-
en, children and animals. He also painted the walls of
one room in each of the residences of Samuel Fitts (now
Frank Hall's), and John Emerson on High Street, now the
home of George Smith. One of the pictures in Mr. Fitts'
house was a representation of an ocean scene with a ship
under full sail and near an immense sea serpent moving
rapidly over the waters.
Mr. Badger taught Asa Fitts something of the art, such
as it was. Asa then displayed his skill in art by painting
in very bright colors the walls of the southwest corner
chamber and a bedroom adjoining in the residence of
Joshua Lane his brother-in-law on North Road, where Chas.
R. Rowe now lives. It is remembered that the trees as
painted by Asa were of equal height and but little attention
was given to light and shade. In one of his landscapes
Asa represented the stump of a big tree with a woodman's
ax stuck into it with the handle extending horizontally.
CHAPTER XXVII.
HISTORY OF MUSIC.
SACRED MUSIC.
Metrical psalmody originated with the Protestant Refor-
mation, but made no great advance in England before
the great Revolution in 1648, which resulted in the behead-
ing of Charles I. and in placing the government temporally
in the hands of the Puritans. The latter, in their zeal to
abolish all popish ceremonies and practices which had
been retained in the Episcopal church, of England after
Henry VIII. had thrown off his allegiance to the Pope and
the Catholic church, demolished the organs in the churches,
destroyed the music and drove out the musicians by force.
All these things were done, not only in the cities and large
towns, but in the rural districts from which most of the Pu-
ritans and early settlers of New England came. As a gen-
eral thing the New England Puritans for a long time regard-
ed music as a trap of the Evil One to ensnare the soul; and
even sacred music for the purpose of worship was thought
to be very wicked previous to 1650. Rev. John Cotton of
Boston, who was greatly in advance of the bigotry of his
time, published a treatise entitled ' Singing of psalms as a
o-ospel ordinance, in which he contended that ''a Christian
who hath gifts to frame a spiritual song and to sing it for
his own comfort with use of instruments commits no sin."
Rev. John Eliot also published a discourse and claimed
that music was instituted by God himself as means of Div-
ine worship.
In 1690, the first collection of music which was made in
New England was printed in Boston. It was called "The
Bav Psalm Book. " The music was written without bars and
there were only seven tunes. Two metrical versions of
the Psalms of David were used in public worship, one be-
372
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 373
ing of Scotch origin and the other, which was made in
England, was called Tates and Brady "s version. These
versions, though written in measure and rhyme, had but
little, if any, poetical merit. They were used in many of
the New England churches, until near the latter part of the
last century, when the psalms and hymns of Isaac Watts
were substituted.
Before musical instruments were introduced the tune
was pitched by a contrivance called the pitchpipe, which
• consisted of a pipe resembling the pipe of an organ with
an arrangemenf by which the interior could he made^long-
er or shorter, so that a higher or lower note upon the scale
could be sounded. About eighty years ago a better and
more portable instrument made of steel came into use.
This instrument, which was called the tuning fork, could
be carried in the vest pocket.
Among the first singing books which came into use in
Candia was the Christian Harmony, published in 1805.
This was succeeded by the Village Harmony and later by
the Bridgewater Collection. In 1826, the Boston Handel
and Haydn Society's Collection was first used. There were
several editions of this book. In 1835, the Boston Acade-
my of Music published a collection of tunes. In 1840, this
was followed by the Carmina Sacra, The three last named
books were compiled by Lowell Mason, the distinguished
composer and professor 'of music of Boston. Later on, the
Psaltery and other collections came into vogue.
The following are names of a part oi the male members
of the choir of the Congregational society from 1770 to
•8y2:
Lt. Abraham Fitts, Dea. Nathaniel Burpee, Dea. John
Hill, Dea. Samuel Cass, Moses Sargent. Master Moses Fitts,
Daniel Fitts, esq., Nathan Fitts, Abraham Fitts, 2nd. Reu-
ben Fitts, Samuel Fitts, John Wason, Samuel Buswell,
Richard Emerson, Col. Henry True Eaton, Henry Eaton,
esq., Josiah French, Samuel Mooers, Stephen Smith, Jona-
than C. French, Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, John Prince, Jona-
than Pillsbury, Peter Eaton. Col. Samuel Cass, Fzekiel Pan.
John Pillsbury, Maj. Nathan Brown, Jonathan Brown, Dr.
Isaiah Pane, Dea. Daniel Fitts. Col Coffin M. French, Sim-
374 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
on French, Joseph Fitts, John Moore, 3rd, John Emerson,
Nathan Carr, Dr. John Pillsbury, John Rowe, Thomas An-
derson, Lowell B. French, Benjamin Cass, Capt. Abraham
Fitts, John L. Fitts, I. Newton Fitts, Nathaniel B. Hall,
Rufus Hall, Charles H. Butler, Asa Fitts, Jesse Fitts, Abra-
ham Fitts, 3rd, Henry Clough, Edwin Eaton, Francis B.
Eaton, Charles Patten, Charles Fitts, John S. Patten, John
K. Nay, Charles Towle, J. Franklin Fitts, N. Correy Fitts,
Charles Gile, Henry McDuffie, Henry Hubbard.
The following- are the names of some of the female sing-
ers of the choir:
Nabby Emerson, Lydia Eaton, Sally M-arden, Lucinda
French, Eveline French, Clarissa Fitts, Polly Rowe, Julia
Rowe, Phebe Fitts, Polly Sargent, Ruth Sargent, Eliza Fa-
ton, Sally Eaton, Margery Eaton, Julia Eaton, Nancy Ro-
bie, Lavina Eaton, Susan Eaton, Sarah Eaton, Mary Eaton,
Martha Eaton, Caroline Eaton, Nancy Robie, Sally Hall,
Louisa Hall, Dolly, Fitts, Hannah Fitts, Sabrina Fitts, Ruth
Fitts, Sarah T. Lane, Hanah G. Lane, Abbie Lane, Emma
Lane, Lucretia Lane, Mary French, Sarah French, Julia
French, Almanza French, Dolly Brown, Abbie Brown, Ad-
aline Brown, Augusta Brown, Sarah Jane Emerson, Ruth
Patten, Emeline Rowe, Mrs. Charles Towns, Carrie R.
Rowe, Ann J. Emerson, two daughters of Rev. Mr. Hid-
den, Sarah Jane Fitts, Abbie Emerson.
No musical instruments of any kind were used to accom-
pany the singers in the choir before the year 1806. The
bass viol was the first instrument used, but there is no rec-
ord as to who performed upon it. It is probable that some
member of either the Fitts or Eaton families was entitled to
that honor, as it is known that an instrument of the kind
was owned in both of those families at an early date.
The following are the names of some of the instrumental
performers in the choir of the Congregational church:
Bass viol. Dr. Isaiah Lane, Col. Samuel Cass, Jesse R.
Fitts: flute, Henry French; clarionet, Edwin Eaton, Abra-
ham Fitts 3rd; violin, Henry French; bugle, Henry Clough-
In 1866, the society bought an organ which had been
used several years in the Congregational church at Epping.
The price paid was four hundred dollars. John McKay
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 375
was the organist several years. He was succeeded by Nel-
lie Eaton.
The following are the names of some of the leaders of
the choir:
Nathaniel Burpee, Master Moses Fitts, Nathan Fitts, Dr.
Nathaniel Wheat, Charles H. Butler, Dr. Isaiah Lane, Jesse
R. Fitts, John K. Nay.
About the year 1829, Dr. Wheat and one or two other
members of the choir of the Congregational church became
members of the New Hampshire Musical Society. In Octo-
ber, 1830, the annual meeting took place at the Presbyter-
ian church in Bedford. Many of the best singers and in-
strumental performers in the state were present at the meet-
ing, among whom were various musicians who belonged
to the choir of the church at Bedford, which was greatly in
advance of most of the other musical organizations of the
times, especially in the matter of instrumental music. The
people belonging to Candia that were present at the musi-
cal festival at Bedford were greatly delighted with the mus-
ic. About that time Dr. Wheat was elected President of the
society.
In October, 1831, this society held its annual meeting in
Candia. The exercises took place at the Congregational
meeting house. A. large audience was present. Rev. Mr,
Wheeler offered a prayer, and Dr. Nathaniel Wheat deliver-
ed the annual address upon the subject of music from the
pulpit. During the meeting the members of the associa-
tion rehearsed a variety of vocal and instrumental music.
Such an exhibition of violins, violoncellos, double bass Ti-
ols, trombones, flutes, clarionets, bassoons, etc., was
never before heard in Candia. Dr. Wheat's splendid tenor
voice was fully equal to anything of the kind that was
heard on the occasion.
CHOIRS AT THE FREE WILL BAPTIST.
For many years after the Free Will Baptist Society was es-
tablished in Candia there were no regularly organized choirs
in their meetings at the church on Sunday or at any other
37^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
religious assemblies. The hymns were sung to tunes that
were learned mostly by rote and all the people of the con-
gregation that had a gift for music were free to join in the
exercises.
About the year 1830, some of the members of the society
gave some attention to the study of sacred music upon
scientific principles. A choir was organized and the mem-
bers met from time to time for practice. The choir was lo-
cated at the east end of the old church; but no instruments
of any kind were introduced until about the year 1840.
Previous to that time the Free Will Baptist ministers, as a
general rule, were strenuously opposed to the use of mus-
ical instuments in any of their religous meetings. They
argued that when instruments were used the people were
prevented from understanding the words and could not,
therefore, sing with the spirit and the understanding also.
They believed with Rev. Dr. Adam Clark, the famous Meth-
odist divine and commentator on the Bible, who declared
that "the use of instruments of music in the church is
without sanction and opposed to the will of God; that they
are subverters of the spirit of devotion." Rev. David Marks,
a famous Free Will Baptist preacher of sixty years ago who
visited many towns in the vicinity of Candia, made a sol-
emn vow that he would not announce or read a hymn in
any meeting when he knew it would be sung in connect-
ion with musical instruments.
The bass viol was at leno-th introduced into the Free Will
Baptist church at the Village aud one of the first to perform
on the instrument was William Turner.
In 1849, Robie Smith was leader and played on the vio-
lin. Moses Carpenter also played upon the violin and Lew-
is Buswell played upon the bass viol. Jason Godfrey, John
Prescott and wife, J. Wesley Lovejoy and wife and J. Har-
vey Philbrick and wife were the principal singers.
The next leader was Alvin D. Dudley. Among the sing-
ers besides Mr. Dudley were Ira Godfrey and wife, Jason
Godfrey, Mrs. A. D. Dudley, Charles Page, Angeline
Towle, Can B. Haines, E. R. Ingalls and wife, Luna
Noyes, Susan Godfrey, Clara and Bell Philbrick and Tenny
Dearborn.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 377
Ira Godfrey was leader of the choir for some time. He
was followed by John Foster, who is the present leader.
Among the recent singers were Abbie Fitts, Mrs. John
Foster, Jane Fitts, Flora Moore, Clara Rowe, Cora Bean,
Clara Fisk, Mary Prescott, Lillian Young, Nellie Rich, Dr.
Grant and wife, Moses Critchett. Arthur Critchett, Oscar
Fisk and Anna Robinson. Joseph C. Cram was leader for
awhile and played upon a seraphine and a reed organ.
The reed organ has also been played upon by Abbie Fitts,
Flora Moore, Clara Rowe, Nellie Rich, Julia Towle, Cora
Bean and Clara Taylor.
In March, 1848, there was a musical festival under the
direction of Joseph C. Cram, the music teacher of Deerfield,
at the church. Dr. J. Allen Tebbetts of Deerfield delivered
a lecture upon the occasion and Rev. Arthur Caverno the
pastor made some remarks.
THE CHOIR OF THE METHODIST SOCIETY.
Among the singers at the MethoJ.ist church were Robie
Smith, who was leader of the choir, Lewis Buswell, Gilman
Bean, T. Benton Turner, and Sarah and Ruth Bickford.
The choir was accompanied by a fine cabinet organ.
BANDS.
The first reeular band in the town was called The Wash-
ington Band. It was organized in 1838, and the following
are the names of some of the members:
J. Sullivan Brown, leader, Stephen C. Merrill, Thomas
Wheat, Henry Clough, Frederick Smyth, Charles H. Butler,
William Hoitt, Richard Fmerson, Dearborn French. Jesse
Fitts, Abraham Fitts. The organization was kept up a few
years when it was disbanded.
During the spring of 1839, Frederick Smyth and Thomas
Wheat, members of the Washinton Band, were students at
the Phillips' Teachers Seminary at Andover, Mass. All the
students of the seminary over eighteen years of age were
warned to appear for military duty at the annual May
training that year. The majority of the students were on-
37§ HISTORY 01 CANDIA.
ly temporary residents of the town. Notice was given out
that none of the students would obey the summons to train;
whereupon the military authorities threatened to arrest
them in case they failed to apppear on the day appointed.
To show their independence and spirit the students de-
termined to get up a May training on their own account.
Frederick Smyth came up to Candia post-haste and engaged
all of his fellow members of the Washington Band to go to
Andover and furnish the music for the contumacious boys
as they marched through the streets of that ancient town.
The students trained to the music of the Candia band ac-
cording to their program; but no arrests were made as the
boys had the law on their side.
In 1840, the Washington Band performed for a very large
delegation of the citizens of Manchester who marched in
the procession at the great state mass meeting of the Whigs
at Concord, during the log cabin and hard cider campaign
a few months before the election of Gen. William H. Har-
rison, the Whig candidate for the Presidency. At that date
there were no militaay bands in Manchester.
About the year 1855, the Candia Cornet Band was organ-
ized. In 1858, it was re-organized. Stephen B. Fitts was
leader. Among the members were J. Franklin Fitts, Jona-
than C. Hobbs, Dana Fitts, Charles Fitts; Isaac Fitts, Moses
French, Charles H. French, Asa Dutton, John H. Foster,
T. Benton Turner.
About the time the band was re-organized in 1858, Abra-
ham and Beniah Fitts, who were engaged in business at
Worcester, Mass., bought a quantity of second hand brass
band instruments, consisting of bugles, cornets, ophyclides,
trombones, etc., paying therefor only what they were
worth for old junk. Jesse Fitts, their brother, who was vis-
iting them at the time, took the whole lot off tiieir hands
and brought it to Candia. The instruments, which were in
good order, were turned over to the members of the newly
organized band for a mere song-.
In 1861, at the breaking out of the war, this band was
re-organized as follows:
Joseph Franklin Fitts, leader; members, Stephen B. Fitts,
Alfred Dana Fitts, Isaac Fitts, Jonathan C. Hobbs, John
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 379
Foster, David Bean, Carlos E. .Fitts, Nathan Correy Fitts,
Charles H. French, George E. Eaton, Webster Varnum,
Samuel Hubbard, Moses T. French, Frank Swain, Charles
Frederick Fitts, Joseph Durant, Charles M. Lane, John K.
Nay, J. Meader Young, T. Benton Turner, Gilman A. Bean,
C. H. Turner, Isaac Fitts, Charles O. Merrill, Orlando
Drown, George B. Emerson, and Joseph Rollins and Jo-
seph Young of Deerfield.
The following are the names of the members of the band
as it was re-organized in 1866:
Oscar Merrill, leader; N. Corey Fitts, John H. Foster,
' Jonathan C. Hobbs, Moses T. French, P. M. Swain, Isaac
Fitts, C. H. Turner, George E. Eaton, Frederick F. Emer-
son, T. Benton Turner, Jesse M. Young, Dana T. Dudley,
Edmund R. Ingalls, Edmund J. Godfrey, J. K. Nay, Web-
ster Varnum, Gilman A. Bean, Charles H. French and
Luther Monroe.
About the year 1878. the band was again re-organized
and John H. Foster was chosen leader and other members
were added.
TEACHERS OF MUSIC.
The following are the names of some those who have
taught singing schools and given instruction in vocal
music.
Nathaniel Burpee, Master Moses Fitts, Nathan Fitts, Dr.
Nathaniel Wheat, Francis D. Randall of Deerfield, Dr. Kit-
tredge of Pembroke, Henry E. Moore of Concord, Dr. Isa-
iah Lane, Charles H. Butler, Col. Samuel Cass, Dea. Dan-
iel Fitts, Joseph C. Cram of Deerfield, John K. Nay, Ben-
jamin Thompson of Deerfield, John Willard and J. M. San-
born of Manchester. Mr. Cram of Deerfield taught singing
schools in Candia at various intervals during a period of
nearly fortv years. He was not only an excellent teacher
but a very pleasing vocalist.
Ephraim K. Eaton, son of Peter Eaton, very early in life
showed more than ordinary talent for music, and he per-
formed upon the bass viol and other instruments with much
skill. About the year 1835, he became a member of a band
380 HISTORY OE CANDIA.
attached to a United States frigate and visited various ports
in Europe and elsewhere. Upon his return he became the
director of bands connected with various great circus
companies and visited many cities and towns in the Union.
He has been a resident of Gloversville, N. Y. , for several
years. He is an eminent composer of music.
Asa Fitts taught singing schools several years in Boston
and various other places in Massachusetts. He also pub-
lished several elementary works upon music and two or
three books consisting of collections of songs and tunes,
some of which were composed by himself. As a teacher
he was quite popular, especially with the younger class of
pupils.
FIRST MEL0DE0NS AND PIANOS.
Emma Lane, afterwards Mrs. Frederick Smyth, owned
the first melodeon which was used in Candia. It was an-
instrument about twenty inches long and the bellows were
operated by rocking the instrument upon the table with the
elbows.
Among the first pianos brought into town were those
owned by Mary Bean, daughter of Joseph Bean, Ellen Ea-
ton, daughter of Henry M. Eaton, Mary B. Lane and the
daughters of Rev. E. N. Hidden and Dea. W. J. Dudley.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
PHYSICIANS.
For nearly fifty years after the first settlement was made
in Candia there were only four or five medical schools in
the Unite;! States. One of these was located in Cambridge,
Mass., in connection with Harvard College; one in New
York city; one in Philadelphia; and one established at Han-
over, in connection with Dartmouth College, in 1798. In
the early days, only a few young men were able to obtain
a medical education, except by studying under the direction
of some practictioner of experience. It was the custom for
the medical student to become regularly apprenticed to a
physician of reputation in full practice for two or three
years. The physician was entitled to the. services of his
student and in return he was bound to give him instruct-
ion in the various branches of medicine.
There was no regularly educated physician in Candia
previous to 1760. Samuel Mooers, one of the first settlers
at the Corner, had some knowledge of medicine, and some
times prescribed in ordinary cases of sickness, extracted
teeth and performed minor surgical operations, but, though
he was generally called "Doctor Mooers;" he never pre-
tended to be a regular physician.
Dr, Coffin Moore came from Stratham in 1760, and prac-
ticed as a regular physician, until 1784, when he died. He
married Comfort Weeks, by whom he had several children.
Jacob B. Moore, one of their sons became a physician, mar-
ried a daughter of Ephraim Eaton and settled in Andover.
Dr. Timothy Kelly came to Candia in 1770, and settled
on the place on High Street recently owned by Freeman
Parker, and now owned and occupied by his widow. He
built the first house upon the lot. John Lane, senior, in his
account book charged him seven shillings for making a box
38i
3^2 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
for his saddle bags, and credits him with the sum of two
shillings for bleeding his wife. Dr. Kelly removed from
the town about the year 1790.
Dr. Samuel Foster, the next physician, was born in Bil-
lerica, Mass., and came to Candia in 1789. He. bought a
part of the School lot on South Road, now owned by Mr.
Clow, and built a house that was torn down about twenty
years ago. He married Mary Colcord of Brentwood. They
had ten children. In 1812, he moved to Canterbury, but
returned to Candia in 181 5, and after residing here awhile
he removed to Brentwood, where he died, in 1826.
Dr. Shaw came to town, in 1807, and practiced one year.
Dr. John Brown also came to Candia, in 1807, and board-
ed'with Stephen Clay, who lived near the Congregational
meetinghouse. In 1808, Sally Morrill, a young daughter
of Samuel Morrill, 2nd, and a sister of the present Samuel
Morrill of High Street, while \ laying in the barn with Sally
Clough and her sister Lydia, the late Mrs. True French,
broke the bone of one of her thighs in jumping from the
high beams to the bay. Dr. Brown attended her and in
twenty-seven days she was able to leave her bed. Dr.
Brown remained in town one year.
Dr. Nathaniel Wheat was born in Canaan, in 1783. He
studied with Dr. Jacob B. Moore of Andover, and came to
Candia, in 1809. In 1819, he was married to Sally Fitts, a
daughter of Moses Fitts, senior. They had three children,
Thomas, and two who died in infancy. Soon after his
marriage Dr. Wheat bought of Samuel Dearborn a house on
the site of the one now owned by Albert Bean, the next
west of the parsonage of the Congregational church. The
house, which had a gable roof, was sold to Ephraim
George, in 1824, and hauled to the place below the Corner,
now owned by Mr. Stanley. The house, which has been
recently repaired, is still standing. Dr. Wheat then built
the present Albert Bean house. After a very successful
practice of about twenty years, he moved to Concord, in
1834. In 1838, he returned to Candia and the following
year he removed to Manchester, to practice there more than
twelve years. He died in January, 1857.
Dr. Wheat was a very ingenious mechanic, as well as a
HISTORY OF CANDIA. ^8
JUJ
skillful physician. In ig22, he made a pipe organ of moder-
ate size. The instrument, which worked well, was set up
in Master Moses Fitts' hall, and was often played on by the
builder and others. In connection with John Emerson, he
made several bass viols, one of which a large double bass
was used in the choir of the Congregational church several
years. He was the first physician in the town to apply
electricity in the treatment of nervous diseases and was the
first to own an electric machine.
Dr. Rufus Kittredge, a son of Dr. Benjamin Kittredge of
Chester, came to Candia, in 1810, and practiced about one
year, when he returned to Chester. In 1849, he removed
to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. Moses Bagley, a son of Jonathan Bagley of Candia,
was born, Nov. 6, 1778. He studied medicine and prac-
ticed in town from 181 7 to 1823. when he suddenly died at
the age of forty-five years. He was married to Judith Cur-
rier of Newton, and resided in a house situated about half
a mile below the Corner.
Dr. John Pillsbury was born in Rowley, Mass. He prac-
ticed as a physician in Raymond more than twenty years.
He came to Candia and practiced about three years, when
he moved to Buck Street, Pembroke. While he lived in
Candia he resided on the place now owned by Abraham Bar-
ker, a short distance below the Corner. While he lived in
Raymond he married a daughter of Rev. Nehemiah Ord-
way, who was the acting pastor of the Congregational
church in that town three years, ending in 1797. They had
a family of children, among whom was Amos, who was a
trader in Candia several years. Dr. Pillsbury died in Pem-
broke at an advanced age.
Dr. Isaiah Lane, son of John Lane, senior, studied med-
icine with Dr. William Graves of Deerfield, and attended
lectures at the medical school at Hanover. He received
his degree in 1824, and began practice in Candia that year.
In November of the same year, he was married to Miss
Frances Batchelder of Northwood. They had five children.
He resided several years in the east end of the Dea. Fitts'
house, now owned by Frank E. Page About the year
1828, he bought the old parsonage place where E. Sylves-
3^4 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ter now lives. In 1854, he sold his place and moved to
Plain field, where he died a few months after, aged 57.
Dr. Samuel Sargent came to Candia from Chichester,
where he had been in practice, in 1833. His two sons, S.
Addison and John Sargent, were clerks for William Duncan
several years before that date. Dr. Sargent resided in the
Dr. Wheat house. He returned to Chichester, in 1840, and
died there, leaving a widow, three sons and a daughter.
The latter, whose name was Maria Sargent, by her agreea-
ble manners, made many friends while residing in Candia.
She died very suddenly in Chichester from the effects of an
injury she received in jumping from a carriage, about the
year 1872.
Dr. Joseph Eastman came to Candia from Hampstead,
in 1840. He studied with his brother, Dr. Josiah Eastman
of Hampstead, and attended lectures at the medical school
at Hanover. He married Miss Ayer of Hampstead, by
whom he had a number of children. Upon coming to Can-
dia they lived in a part of Pillsbury Colby's house near the
Corner. In 1844, he bought the place now owned by
Frank E. Page. He left town in 1846.
Dr. Richard H. Page was born in Atkinson and came to
this town in 1846, as the successor of Dr. Eastman. In 1848,
he bought the present residen2e of his son, and married
Abbie E. Lane, the daughter of John Lane, esq. He had a
very extensive practice for nearly thirty years, it being the
longest term of any physician either before or since his
time. The last two or three years of his life he suffered
much from illness. He died in 1875, leaving two children,
Frank E. and Abbie Page.
Dr. Luther Pattee, a son of Asa Pattee of Warner, was
born in that town, in 1831. He studied medicine with Dr.
Leonard Eaton of Warner. and Dr. Gilman Kimball of Low-
ell, Mass. He attended lectures at the medical schools at
Pittsfield, Mass., and Woodstock, Vt, and also at the med-
ical college connected with Harvard University. He
graduated at Woodstock, in 1855, after which he practiced
medicine a few months with Dr. Kimball at Lowell. He
attended lectures at the medical schools of Pittsfield, Mass. ,
and Woodstock, Vt. , and also at the medical college con-
ANDREW J. EDGERLY
Sketch, page 515.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 385
iiec ted with Harvard University. He graduated at Wood-
st©ck, in 1853, after which he practiced medicine a few
months with Dr. Kimball at Lowell. He came to Candia
in 1853, and practiced five years. In 1857, he removed to
Wolfboro, and was in active practice there, until 1863,
when he removed to Manchester, where he has resided un-
til the present time. In 1870, he opened an office in Bos-
ton, in connection with his professional business in Man-
chester. After five years' practice in Boston, he devoted
himself wholly to the practice of his profession in Manchester.
Dr. Pattee secured a high reputation as a skillful surgeon
as well as physician, and has been eminently successful in
performing difficult and dangerous capital operations. He
has removed a greater number of ovarian tumors than any
other surgeon in New Hampshire. In 1855, he was mar-
ried to Sarah Richardson, a daughter of the late Gilman
Richardson.
Dr. Edward S. Berry was born in Pittsfield, Oct. 29, 1840.
He was educated in the public schools and the academy in
the town, and studied medicine with Dr. John Wheeler.
He attended lectures at the medical school connected with
Harvard University and afterwards graduated at Dartmouth
Medical College at Hanover. He commenced practice in
•Candia in 1865, and remained in town until 1873, when he
removed to Dover, where he practiced seven years and a
half. In 1880, he removed to Concord and resided there un-
til his death, in December, 1891. He married Miss Florin-
da Elkins of Barnstead. They had one daughter. Dr.
Berry was a great sufferer for three or four years before his
death from nervous prostration and other diseases.
Dr. Edgar L. Carr was born in Gilmanton, May 12, 1841.
He commenced the study of medicine in 1861 with Dr John
Wheeler of Pittsfield and attended lectures at Dartmouth
Medical College, in 1864. Subsequently he attended lec-
tures at Harvard Medical College. He came to Candia in
1866. He practiced in town four years and then moved to
Pittsfield. During the war of the rebellion he held theposir
lion of hospital steward in the 15th Massachusetts regiment
and assistant surgeon in the 21st and 35th Massachusetts
25
3§6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
regiments. In 1867, he married Miss Addie J. B. Osborn
of Loudon. They had two children. Dr. Carr is still in
practice at Pittsfield.
Dr. Leander J. Young is a native of Barnstead. He came
to Candia in 1873, and practiced in the town until 1883,
when he moved to Haverhill, Mass.
Dr. L. E. Grant was born in North Berwick, Maine, in
1859. He was educated in the common schools and the
high school of the town, and at the age of twenty became a
student in the medical department of Bowdoin College.
He graduated in 1882, and commenced practice at Ray-
. mond. In 1883, he came to Candia as the successor of Dr.
Young. In 1S87, he moved to Great Falls and is still in
that place. In 1882, he was married to Miss Georgie E.
Ricker of South Berwick, Maine. While they lived in Can-
dia they had two children, one of which died in infancy.
Dr. Avery M. Foster was born in the town of Gray,
Maine, April 11, 1851. He received his education in the
common schools and high school of his native town and
the Latin school at Lewiston, Maine. He attended lec-
tures and graduated at the Maine State Medical school con-
nected with Bowdoin college, in 1875. He commenced
practice at Lincolnville, Maine. In 1887, he came to Can-
dia. In 1876, he was married to Miss Mary Drinkwater.
In January, 1892, Mrs. Foster died very suddenly of pneu-
monia, leaving s. young daughter.
Dr. John L. Burnham was born in Goffstown, in 1859.
He attended Francestown academy and the high school at
Manchester, and studied medicine with Dr. William M. Par-
sons of Manchester. He attended lectures at the medical
school connected with Dartmouth college and was gradu-
ated in 1889. He practiced medicine at Manchester one
year in company with Dr. C. F. Flanders and came to Can-
dia in 1889. His office was at the residence of Samuel Col-
cord, near the Depot Village. After a successful practice
of nearly two years, he returned to Manchester, and is now
in full practice in that city.
From 1824 to 1840 Dr. Peter Renton, a distinguished
physician, was frequently called to Candia in dangerous
cases of sickness. He was a native of Scotland and was
HISTORY OF CAND1A. 387
educated at Edinburg. After, leaving Concord, he settled
in Boston and died there.
About forty years ago, a few persons in the town became
interested in what was called the Thompsonian method of
treating diseases. The advocates of this method were
greatly opposed to bleeding and the use of all mineral med-
icines. The body of the patient was at first greatly relaxed
by a very warm bath, produced by steam or hot cloths and
then treated with purely vegetable medicines, among which
lobelia and cayene pepper were the most conspicuous.
Dr. Haines, a practitioner of this kind from Deerfield had
a few patients in Candia a few years ago.
About the same time, the "Water Cure"' so called, was
intr*odu:ed by a few persons in town. This treatment was
totally opposite to the Thompsonian method, for instead of
being subjected to steam or warm vapors, the body was
wrapped in a sheet wrung out from cold water and covered
with dry blankets. If everything worked well sweating
set in and the patient was soon in a high state of perspira-
tion. Henry Martin Emerson, a son of John Emerson, of
High Street, who was far gone in consumption, was treated
in this manner as a last resort but he soon afterwards died.
"The Wat§r Cure'' was very popular in high quarters, both
in America and Europe, but little is heard of it now and the
same may be said of the Thompsonian system.
Seventy-five years ago the great majority of the physi-
cians in the country when called in cases of serious sick-
ness, after making a diagnosis were in the habit of first
tying a ligature around the arm of the patient above the el-
bow; then opening a vein, to take from a pint to two quarts
of blood as a preliminary step in the treatment. Then a
dose of ipecac or antimony was given as an emetic. When
the vomiting, or puking, as it was called in old .times, had
ceased, a powerful cathartic, consisting of ten grains eaelv
of calomel and jalup was administered. During the prog-
ress of the disease, the treatment was equally heroic. The
medicines of those times were given in their crude state and
in quantities which, at the present day, would be regarde
as highly dangerous. Medicines in this form, when given
in large doses, were very nauseating and disagreeable to
388 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the taste, quite unlike the sugar coated pills, the elixirs and
extracts prepared by skilled manufacturing chemists and
given in small doses at the present day ; many powerful
drugs were administered, but few were the cases in which
calomel was not regarded as the most important weapon
in the combat with disease. Patients, while undergoing
the treatment to which they were subjected, were forbid-
den to quench their raging thirst with cold water, even
when the burning fever had reached its highest point.
Many persons who made no complaint of being ill in any
respect were bled in the spring or were accustomed to take
large doses of physic to guard themselves from the attacks
of disease.
At the present day, bleeding is seldom resorted to. Many
physicians of thirty year's practice have not bled once in
two years on an average, and some, who have been in the
practice ten years have never bled a patient at all. Calo-
mel in modern days is rarely used and antimony is practi-
cally abandoned. Many intelligent persons have believed
that the indiscriminate use of powerful drugs in the treat-
ment of disease in past times has sent many a patient to an
untimely grave, and some have declared that if all the med-
icine in the world was sunk at the bottom of the ocean, the
people, on the whole, would suffer no great damage. In
referring to this statement, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the
distinguished poet and eminent professor remarked: "that if
all the medicine was sunk in the ocean he should pity the
fishes. "
Within the past few years, great advances have been
made in medical science, especially in surgery, and the
common people have been enabled to acquire some knowl-
edge of the physical laws by which they are better enabled
to defend themselves against sickness as well as quacks
and charlatans than were some of their ancestors. The dis-
covery of ether as an anaesthetic about the year 1848, was
.a great blessing to the world in saving those who are oblig-
ed to submit to severe surgical operations, from the agonies
which were endured by people in the same circumstances
'before that period, as well as to others who suffer pain
tfrom any cause.
HISTOKV OF CANDIA. 389
The physicians of to-day enjoy great advantages for ac-
quiring a thorough education and training, and, as a gen-
eral rule, they are more successful in the treatment of disease
than were their predecessors of sixty years ago.
Seventy-five years ago, a professional dentist was un-
known in New Hampshire, and there was no such art as
filling teeth, partially decayed, or of supplying a new and
beautiful set when all had become useless. All that the
doctors could do in the dentistry line in those days, was to
seize the decayed and aching teeth of his patients with the
clumsy old-fashioned cant hook and pry them out without
much ceremony. By the way, it used to be said more than
fifty years ago that a very romantic, though timid and bash-
ful young man in the town, was so deeply in love with the
accomplished daughter of the doctor at that time and so
anxious to see her, that he was willing to have a sound
tooth extracted now and then as an apology for going to her
residence. It is barely possible that the story was slightly
exaggerated.
EPIDEMICS.
About eighty years ago, there were several cases of
spotted fever in the town, one or two of which proved fatal.
The throat distemper was also prevalent about that time
and it is said that several persons died, among whom were
the wife, the oldest son and two daughters of a citizen in
the east part of the town. While lung fever or pneumonia,
typhoid fever and scarlet fever have almost every year car-
ried off a considerable number of persons, cases of con-
sumption are less common than they were at a period pre-
vious to 1850.
During the years from 1889 to 1892, a dangerous disease
with the French name of La Grippe, much resembling in-
fluenza, prevailed in many parts of the United States and
Europe. There were many cases in Candia and some of
them resulted fatally.
By accident, the names of the victims of Small Pox which
prevailed in the town in 1835 were omitted in the account
of that calamity which appears on page -08 of this volume.
39° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
The following is a full list of the names of those who died
from that disease : William Towle, Owen Reynolds, aged
45, Marietta Reynolds his daughter, aged 18, Asa Hun-
toon, aged 36, Nelson Healey, David Heath, aged 56, and
Asa Heath.
HON. THOMAS W. THOMPSON.
It was mentioned on page 212, that Hon. T. W.Thompson,
Concord, gave, by his will, to the Congregational Society of
Candia, a tract of land in Allenstown. Mr. Thompson was
a very distinguished lawyer and statesman. He was a
fellow student with Rev. Jesse Remington at Harvard Col-
lege and gave to the Congregational Society the land'referred
to as a tribute to the memory of his friend and companion.
He held many important offices in the state and was a rep-
resentative to Congress several terms, and was a United
States Senator four years. He died in 1823.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY AND OTHER MATTERS.
Soon after the American colonies were founded, negro
men, women and children who had been kidnapped in Af-
rica were brought into the country and sold like sheep or
cattle. Slavery existed in all the colonies, including New
Hampshire, previous to the war of the Revolution. Rev.
Dr. Eouton, in his history of Concord, gives the names of a
considerable number of the citizens of that town who own-
ed slaves, including that of Rev. Timothy Walker, the first
minister of the place, who owned one negro man and two
women. He also gives copies of bills of sale of slaves, one
of which was from Patrick Gault of old Chester, dated in
1767, conveying to Andrew McMillian of Concord, a negro
girl named Dinah, for the sum of 12 pounds. Mr. Gault
lived in that part of Chester which is now Hooksett, and
near the present residence of William F. Head. So it seems
that Candia came within about three miles of being slave
territory in ancient days.
Slavery at length became unpopular and unprofitable in
the North and a large number of the slaves were sold to
Southern planters. In 1784, slavery was abolished in New
Hampshire by law. As time went on, slave labor was in
great demand at the South for raising cotton and other crops
and the negro population increased very rapidly. For
many years, the people of the country felt very little interest
in regard to the moral bearings of slavery which John Wes-
ley denounced as the sum of all villainies ; and they seem-
ed utterly regardless of the cruel wrongs which were
inflicted upon the victims of the system. The merchants
and manufacturers of the North were on intimate terms
with their slave holding customers of the South and mem-
bers of Northern churches were in close fellowship with
their spiritual brethren of the South while slave holding
391
392 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ministers were often invited to occupy northern pulpits.
The great national missionary society of the Congregation
ist called the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions was composed of members belonging to the North
and the South, many of the latter being slave holders and
funds which were the proceeds of the sale of negro men,
women and children are said to have been often received
by the "Board" to aid in saving souls in heathen lands
without rebuke from the churches in any quarter.
In 1 83 1, William Lloyd Garrison established a weekly
paper called the Liberator in Boston and opened a fierce and
relentless war upon slavery and demanded its immediate
abolition. He charged that the Federal Constitution pro-
tected slavery and was therefore a covenant with death and
an agreement with hell.
Among the early abolitionists were Wendell Phillips of
Boston and Parker Pillsbury, Stephen S. Foster and Nath-
iel P. Rogers, of New Hampshire. All of these and others
were often mobbed, their meetings were broken up by
parties who were set on and encouraged by men who were
prominent in the churches and in political and business
affairs. The slaveholders became greatly exasperated on
account of the exposures of the cruel wrongs inflicted upon
their helpless victims. The most of the politicians and
influential citizens, both in the North and the South, de-
nounced the abolitionists as enemies to the peace and welfare
of the country. Slavery was defended on scriptural grounds
by various eminent theologians of the North, among whom
were Rev. Dr. Adams, of Boston, Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Lord,
President of Dartmouth College, Prof. Moses Stuart, of
Andover Theological Seminary, Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher
and Rev. Dr. Bacon, of Hartford, Conn. It was argued
that slavery existed in the primitive churches and was al-
lowed by Christ and the apostles.
The early abolitionists were opposed to war for any
cause. They relied solely on the power of moral and
spiritual truth to rescue the slave, as well as to redeem and
save the world. They neither formed or joined any politi-
cal party. They abjured the ballot altogether as a reform
agent as they did the bullet, and yet, though they always
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 393
acted on those principles, they were despised and persecu-
ted for many years.
In the course of a few years, after the movement against
slavery was made by Garrison and his associates, a small
number of Candia people became interested in the cause of
emancipation. A few anti-slavery tracts were circulated in
the town, there were two or three subscribers to the Herald
of Freedom, published by N. P. Rogers at Concord, and,
once in a while, a copy of the Liberator was seen in the
territory. Benjamin Chase, in his history of Chester, relates
that, at the annual meeting of the Rockingham Western
Conference of churches which was held at the Congrega-
tional meeting house in Candia, in 1835, Stephen Chase of
Auburn offered a resolution to the effect that it was the du-
ty of all Christians to oppose all forms of injustice and
oppression wherever they may appear. The resolution was
discussed and slavery was denounced by two of the speak-
ers. At the conclusion of the meeting, Rev. Charles P.
Russell, who was then settled in Candia, severely rebuked
Mr. Chase for introducing the slavery question, and declar-
ed that he did not wish his people to hear one word upon
the subject on that occasion.
In 1844, when the proposition to admit Texas into the
Union as a slave state was being discussed, many of the
people of the North were aroused to the consideration of
the political bearings of the slave system upon the country.
A few citizens belonging to both of the great national par-
ties strenuously opposed the scheme to further extend the
slave system and organized a third political party. In 1845
and 1846, by a combination of the Whigs and the anti-slave-
ry citizens of Candia, Jonathan Martin, one of their num-
ber, was elected a representative to the Legislature.
The opposition to slavery was greatly intensified in the
North by the passage of the fugitive slave bill by Congress
in 1850, and also by the passage of the Kansas and Nebras-
ka bill in 1854, repealing the Missouri Compromise, which
forbade the existence of slavery north of a certain para-
lel of latitude. In 1856, the most of the members of the
great Whig party combined with the Free soil party and
Col. J. C. Fremont, their candidate for President came
39^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
»
near being elected. Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1861.
Then came the secession of the slave states, and then the
great civil Avar.
During the first two years of the war of the rebellion
neither the citizens of the North or the soldiers in the Fed-
eral armies ever thought of overthrowing slavery by force.
They only demanded that the system should not be extend-
ed, and that the Union of the States should be restored.
Slavery was not abolished by moral influences on the part
people of the North, but by the famous proclamation of
President Lincoln, which was issued strictly as a war mea-
sure to have no effect except upon the refusal of the rebels
to lay down their arms and return to the Union.
When the "cruel war was over" and the slave were set
free, almost every body claimed to have always been a first
class abolitionist. Many ministers and politicians who for
twenty-five years had figured as open enemies of the anti-
slavery cause, were all at once heard bragging of how they
had labored to secure freedom for the slaves.
PEACE AND WAR.
About the year 1830, a national organization called the
American Peace Society was established in the United
States for the purpose of abolishing war. Auxilliary soci-
eties were founded in various parts of the country ; periodi-
cals and pamphlets, advocating the doctrines of peace and
good will among nations and states were published and
circulated in great numbers It was claimed that all wars
are brutal, anti Christian and sinful in the highest degree,
and that all disputes between nations should be settled by
arbitration. Many of the people of Candia became much
interested in the cause and peace lectures were sometimes
given in the churches by agents of the society. At a later
date, peace societies were organized in England, France,
and Germany. Great international conventions, or con-
gresses were held in London, Paris, Geneva, and other
places and many very intelligent people firmly believed
that the time was near at hand when swords would be
turned into plough shares, and spears into pruning hooks,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 395
and that the Prince of Peace would soon hold undisputed
sway throughout the world.
On the 4th of July, 1845. Charles Sumner, one of the
most distinguished scholars and statesmen the country
has produced, gave the annual oration before the members
of the city government of Boston. The oration, which was
entitled, "The True Grandeur of Nations," made a great
sensation throughout the country. Mr. Sumner contended
that disputes between nations are seldom settled upon prin-
ciples of justice by an appeal to arms as the result often
depends upon accident or the superiority of numbers of the
victors; but it was chiefly against the supreme wickedness
of war that his arguments were directed. The following are
brief extracts from the address: "Amid the thunderbolts of
Sinia God declared, 'Thou shalt not kill.' Who on earth,
shall presume to say that this injunction was not directed
to many but to one person only ; that one person may not
kill, but many may ; that it is not forbidden to a nation to
cut off by the sword tens of thousands of people? We are
struck with horror and our hair stands on end at the report
of a single murder; we think of the soul which has been
hurried to its final account ; we seek the murderer ; and
the state puts forth all its energies to secure his punishment.
Viewed in the unclouded light of truth, what is war but or-
ganized murder ? The injunction, 'Love one another' ap-
plies to nations as well as individuals. What has taught
thee O man! to find glory in an act performed by a nation
which you condemn as barbarous when committed by an
individual ?"
The late James Russell Lowell, who has been regarded
as one of the best poets and essayists in the country and
who was for several years U. S. minister to England, was
an uncompromising opponent of war. Soon after the
breaking outof the Mexican war in 1846, he published a sat-
irical poem written in Yankee dialect, under the assumed
name of "Ezekiel Bigelow, " an unsophisticated farmer, in
which he denounces war in scathing terms. Ezekiel is sup-
posed to have been on a recent visit to Boston, and while
there, to have seen an officer of the U. S. Army marching
through the streets at the head of a squad of soldiers, ac-
39^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
companied by a drummer and fifer, for the purpose of get-
ting recruits to serve in the war against Mexico. The
folovving stanzas will afford some idea of the spirit of the
poem:
"Ez for war I call it murder,
There you have it plain and flat;
I don't want to go no furder
Than my Testament for that;
God has said so plump and fairly
It's as long as it is broad
And you've got to get up airly
If you want to take in God.
'Taint your eppyletts and fethers
Makes the thing a grain more light,
'Taint afoJlering your bell wethers
Will excuse you in his sight.
Ef you take your sword and dror it,
And go stick a feller through,
Guvment aint to answer for it,
God will send the bill to you.
What's the use of meetin goin
Every Sunday, wet or dry
Ef its right to go amotvin
Feller men like oats or rye ?
I dunno but what its pooty
Trainen round in bobtail coats,
But its curis Christian dooty
This ere cuttin folks's throats."
In 1 86 1, when the people of the South undertook to dis-
solve the Union, all the beautiful Christian sentiments of
the New Testament relating to the duty of loving our ene-
mies and overcoming evil with good, became extremely
unfashionable and were'pronounced utterly impracticable
by the people in all sections of the country, and one of the
greatest and most dreadful wars ever known to the world
quickly followed. Vast armies, composed largely of pro-
fessing Christians stood up on many a field and deliberate-
ly sought to destroy each other, and hundreds of chaplains
on each side prayed earnestly to God for victory over their
enemies. Hundreds of thousands of lives were sacrificed,
billions of dollars were expended and a vast amount of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 397
misery was entailed upon the people of all conditions, but
the Union was saved and the Star Spangled Ba nner again
waves proudly over every inch of the territory of the
country.
NEWSPAPERS.
The people of Candia have been good patrons of the
newspaper press for many years. In Colonial and Revo-
lutionary times a few copies of the Portsmouth Gazette^were
taken. Then the New Hampshire Patriot, an organ of the
Democratic party which was established by Isaac Hill, at
Concord in 1809, and the New Hampshire Journal, an organ
of the Federal party, conducted by Jacob B. Moore, a neph-
ew of Peter Eaton, were well patronized by the citizens of
Candia. Mr. Eaton was a frequent contributor to the Jour-
nal. The New Hampshire Observer, a religious newspaper
of the Congregationalists, and the Morning Star, the organ
of the Free Will Baptists, printed at Dover, had a consider-
able number of subscribers for many years. The Morning
Star is still in a flourishing condition. Sixty years ago, two
or three copies of the Trumpet, aUniversalistpaper, publish-
ed at Boston, by Thomas Whittemore were taken. The
Exeter News Letter, The Philadelphia Saturday Courier,
Horace Greeley's New York Weekly Tribune and the
Youths' Companion were among the papers which were
well patronized forty years ago. In addition to these, two
weekly papers which were published in the interest of Sab-
bath Schools were well supported by the members of the
Congregational and Free Will Baptist churches. When
Manchester became a great manufacturing town, the Man-
chester Democrat and the Manchester American were well
patronized in Candia. Later on, the Manchester Weekly
Mirror was taken by many citizens.
In February, 1879, the ladies of the Free Will Baptist Soci-
ety published a quarto newspaper sheet on the occasion of
a Fair, called The Village Organ. The paper contained a
full account of the celebration of the centennial anniversary
of the declaration of Independence in Candia in 1876, and
an interesting poem entitled: "My fathers' prayer," written
39^ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
by Sarah J. Dudley, daughter of Dea. Samuel Dudley.
Other papers have been occasionally published by ladies
connected with fairs.
In 1878, John Jenness Lane, a son of Cyrus T. Lane,
started a weekly newspaper at the Village, called "The
Candia Banner." Though Mr. Lane was then quite young
and a novice in the newspaper business, he soon succeeded
in making an interesting journal. The paper was devoted
largely to matters pertaining to Candia and adjoining towns.
Mr. Lane had correspondents in Deerfield, Northwood, Ep-
som, Kingston, Raymond and other neighboring towns.
Among the contributors who resided in Candia, or were
born in the town, were Abraham Emerson, Jesse R. Fitts,
Mary Ann Robie, Rev. William C. Reade, Mrs Octavia
Reade, Aaron Bean of New York city, Wilson Palmer, of
Oyster Bay, Long Island, Rev. John D. Emerson, who
then resided in Jericho, Vf., Francis B. Eaton, and the
author.
The publication of the Banner was suspended in 1882.
TOWN FAIRS.
On October 4th, 1878, the people of Candia had an agri-
cultural fair. Early in the forenoon a procession which
was formed at the Corner, under the direction of E. R. In-
galls, the Chief Marshal, was escorted to the grounds near
the Congregational meeting house by the Lane Rifles, ac-
companied by the Candia Cornet Band. Near the head of
the procession, there was a town team, consisting of forty-
three yokes of oxen drawing a large wagon, decorated with
evergreens, flowers and fruits. The largest pair of oxen
weighed 3330 pounds. Next came a team of six yokes of
oxen, drawing a wagon filled with young ladies. The day
was warm and beautiful and it was estimated that there
were 1500 people upon the grounds. There was a fair ex-
hibition of cows and heifers but there were few horses
or sheep. In the vestry of the church, there was an excel-
lent display of vegetables, fruits, products of the dairy, pic-
tures and needle work.
In the afternoon, the following named officers of the
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 399
town agricultural society appeared upon a stand near the
church : Moses F. Emerson, President, Jonathan C. Hobbs,
Vice President, A. F. Patten, Secretary, W. J. Dudley, Trea-
surer, Jesse R. Fitts, P. W. Sanborn, J. C. Colcord, Asa
Truel, F. S. Rowe, Directors.
Addresses were made by James O. Adams of Manchester,
N. B. Prescott of Derry, F. B. Eaton of Manchester, A. D.
Dudley of Haverhill, Mass., Rev. Charles L. Hubbard of
Boxford, Mass., John Moore, Esq., and others.
In the course of the afternoon, there was a foot race for
a prize and other entertainments.
In October 8, 1879, the Candia Agricultural Society made
arrangements for another annual fair. A procession, under
the direction of John W. Cate, the Chief Marshal, was es-
corted by the Lane Rifles, accompanied by the Candia
Band to the fair grounds near the Congregational meeting
house.
Forty yokes of oxen drew a large and finely decorated
wagon, containing the officers of the Society, the orator of
the day, and various carriages, contained the invited guests
and citizens generally. The exhibition at the vestry in all
departments was very creditable. In the forenoon, there
was a pulling match, and in the afternoon, Capt. W. R.
Patten of Manchester, delivered an oration. Pie was fol-
lowed by Martin W. Cochran of Pembroke, Stephen Holt
of Epping, Ex. Gov. Smyth of Manchester, and others. In
the afternoon, there was a foot race.
The third and last agricultural fair in the town, was held
October 12, 1881. A procession, marshalled by John W.
Cate, was escorted by the Patten Guards from the Corner
to the grounds. The exhibition was in most respects simi-
lar to those of 1878 and 1879. Among the speakers at the
stand were James O. Adams and F. B. Eaton of Manches-
ter and Aaron Whittier of Raymond.
LONGEVITY.
The following are the names of those persons belonging
to the town who died at upwards of 70 years of age so far
as has been ascertained. The record of deaths wThich has
400 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
been kept by the town clerks have been quite imperfect un-
til within a few years because the said clerks were not
supplied with the necessary data :
1793. Nehemiah Brown, aged 76 years.
1798. Arthur Libbie, aged 70.
1799. Anna, wife of Nehemiah Brown, aged 80.
1 80 1. Major Henry Moore, aged 73 years.
1802. Mrs. Silas Camett, aged 82.
1803. Mrs. Clifford, mother of Anthony and Zachariah
Clifford, aged 96.
1804. Thomas Anderson, aged 72; Henry Clark, Sr., 82;
Mrs. Amos Knowles, aged 82.
1805. James Varnum, j^; Robert Wason, 70.
1807. Theophilus Sargent, one of the first settlers at the
Corner, 87.
1808. DaAdd Bean, the first settler at the Island, 81: Lt.
Abraham Fitts, 72.
1809. Mehitable, wife of Jethro Hill, 74; Amos Knowles
Sr., 87.
1 810. Esther Roth, wife of Dea. Nathaniel Burpee, 88 ;
Joshua Blunt, 70 ; Isaiah Rowe, 72.
181 2. Jethro Hill, 70.
181 3. At Andover, Lt. Benjamin Batchelder, 70 ; John S.
Dearborn, 70.
1814. Comfort, wife of Simon French, Sr., 73; James
McClure, 71 ; Lt. Joshua Moore, 73.
1815. Dea. Nathaniel Burpee, 94 ; Mary, wife of Thom-
as Patten, Sr. , 91.
1816. Mrs. Joseph Dearborn, 74 ; Widow Elliot, (blind)
90; Benjamin Lang, Sr., 79; Thomas Patten, Sr., 91.
18 1 7. Mrs. Stephen Dearborn from Chester, 74; Nath-
aniel Wood, 80.
1818. Stephen Fifield, Sr., 71 ; Mehitable, wife of Dr.
Samuel Mooers and the first white child born in Chester, 95 ;
Walter Robie, Esq., Sr., 77.
1819. Lt. Jonathan Bagley, 85 ; Mrs. Henry Clark, 82 ;
Jonathan Currier, Sr., 93 ; Edith, wife of Eben Dearborn of
Chester, 72 ; Hannah, wife of Paul Eaton, 70.
1820. Mrs. Thomas Critchett, 95 ; Mrs. Adonijah Morrill t
FRANK I'. BROWN.
Sketch, page 516.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 401
73 ; John Martin, Sr., 79 ; Hannah, wife of Samuel Murray,
56 ; Mary, wife of Biley Smith, Sr. , j$.
1821. Susan, wife of Walter Robie, Esq., 78.
1822. Caleb Brown, Sr., 80; Jacob Clifford, 74; Anthony
Clifford, 80 ; Sarah, wife of Ephraim Eaton, 78.
1823. John Lane, Sr., 72.
1824. Col. Nathaniel Emerson, 83 ; Deborah, wife of
Arthur Libbee, 93 ; Samuel Morrill, Esq.% Sr. , 74.
1825. Mary Lyford, wife of Caleb Brown, Sr. , 86 ; Reu-
ben Bean, 75 ; Timothy Bagley, 75 ; Eben Dearborn, 81 ;
Mrs. Thurston, mother of Mrs. Aaron Brown, 98.
1826. Aaron Brown, Sr., 82 ; Ephraim Eaton, Esq., 81 ;
Samuel Murray, 92 ; Catherine, wife of Robert Patten, 94 ;
Moses Sargent, Sr., 83 ; Jonathan Pillsbury, one of the first
settlers in the town and a brother of David and Abijah
Pillsbury, 77.
1827. Mrs. Nicholas Gordon, 87 ; Benjamin Smith, Sr.,
99 ; Jeanette, wife of William Wilson, 84.
1828. Mary, wife of Col. John Carr, 89 ; Mary, wife of
Capt. Benjamin Cass, 86 ; Deborah, daughter of Arthur
Libbee, 72 ; John Prescott, 75.
1829. MosesMartin, who came from Amesbury, Mass., 86.
1830. Paul Eaton, 90; Sarah, wife of Rev. Nehemiah
Ordway, 89; Abijah Pillsbury, 81.
1831. John Crawford, 76; Stephen Pa'rr>er. 2nd., 80;
Nathan Thorn, who came from Danville, 91 ; Coi. Thomas
Wilson, 80.
1832. Elizabeth, wife of Nathan Bean, 71 ; Emma, wife
of John Clay, 75 ; Sarah, wife of Jonathan Rowe, 70 ; Me.
hitable, wife of John Robie, Sr., 83.
1833. Anna, wife of Nathan Brown, Sr.,73 ; Mrs. Jacob
Clifford, 83 ; Abigail, wife of James Eaton, 98 ; Sarah, wife
of J. Chase Smith, 91 ; Hannah, wife of Capt. John Sar-
gent, 80.
1834. Nathan Brown, Sr., 75 ; Mehitable, wife of Sam-
uel Bagley, 92 ; Capt. John Sargent, 88.
1835. Moses Buswell, 80; Emma, wife of Moses Bus-
well, 72 ; Richard Bean, 80 ; Benjamin Eaton, 76 ; Lydia,
wife of Moses Emerson, Sr., 75 ; Dr. Joseph Foster, 84.
26
402 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
1836. Deborah, wife of John Clay, 83. At Allenstown,.
Rev. Nehemiah Ordway, 89 ; Miss Sarah Turner, 88.
1837. Sewell Brown, Sr., 83; Ezra Burpee, 80; Mrs.
Henry Clark, 78 ; Jean, wife of Joshua Moore, 76 ; Eliza-
beth, wife of J. Chase Smith, 80.
1838. Susannah, wife of Sewell Brown, Sr., 79 ; Master
Moses Fitts, 71.
1839. Benjamin Bean, 76 ; Moses Emerson, Sr. , 84 ;
Mary, wife of Dea. John Hills, 94 ; Mary, wife of Benjamin
Hubbard, Sr. , 86 ; Benjamin Hall, 73.
1840. Nehemiah Colby, 81 ; Mehitable, wife of James
McClure, 91 ; Timothy H. Pearsons, from Deerfield, 83.
1 84 1. Phebe, wife of Jonathan Smith, 89; Phineas
Swain, 78 ; Nabby, wife of William Dolber, 77 ; James
Sargent, 71 ; Betsey, wife of Samuel Worthen, 74.
1842. Mrs. John Clark, 87; Abigail, wife of John Colby
Ensign Samuel Colcord, 80 ; Mrs. Richard Dearborn, 78
Caleb Hall, 71 ; William Patten, son of Robert Patten, 80
Sarah, wife of J. Chase Smith, 92 ; J. Chase Smith, 83.
1843. Miss Patty Burpee, 82 ; Mrs. Nehemiah Colby, 71;
Mrs. Thomas Johnson, 73 ; Mrs. Stephen Marden, 86 ; Sarah,,
wife of Moses Sargent, Sr. , 89 ; Mrs. Samuel Dearborn, 88.
1844. Timothy Currier, 77 ; Moses Turner, 88.
1845. Mary, wife of Abraham Bean, 74; Sally, wife of
Ensign Samuel Colcord, 70 ; John French, Sr. , 75; Dorothy.,
wife of Amos Knowles, 2nd., 80 ; Hannah, wife of John
Lane, Sr., 90; Mary, wife of Nathaniel Rowe, 70; Walter
Roby, 2nd., 81.
1846. Mrs. Jonathan Healey, 76 ; Jonathan Healey,
drowned, 78 ; Nathaniel Rowe, 73 ; Jonathan Rowe, 80.
1847. Jonathan Cass, 74; Mrs. John Crawford, 72;
Mrs. Jeremiah Haynes, 71 ; David Quimby, 75; Ann, wife
of Solomon Stevens, 85 ; Margaret, wife of Jonathan San-
born, 74 ; Ann, wife of Benjamin Smith, 78 ; Polly, wife of
Capt. Simon Ward, 74.
1848. Sarah, wife of Timothy Bagley, 99 ; Samuel Em-
erson, son of Col. N. Emerson, 70 ; Ann, wife of Dea. An-
thony Langford, 71 ; Sarah, wife of Samuel Sargent, 70;
Hannah, wife of John Taylor, 88 ; Betsey, wife of Joseph
Wiggins of Hooksett, 74.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 4O3
1849. James Critchett, St., the clockmaker, 89 ; Mrs.
William Clifford, 72 ; William Duncan, 78 ; Benjamin Edg-
erly, 771; Benjamin Griffin, 80; Capt. Jacob Libbee, 78;
Benjamin Smith, 2nd., 78 ; Jonathan Worthen, son of Maj.
Jacob Worthen, 73.
1850. Samuel Fitts, 76; David Griffin, 92 ; William Ro-
bie, 78 ; Jonathan Sargent, son of Theophilus Sargent, 78.
1851. John Buswell, 83 ; Mrs. Timothy Currier, 78 ; Jon-
athan Currier, Esq., 86; Col. Henry T. Eaton, 82; Mrs.
Joseph Hubbard, 77 ; Sarah, wife of Josiah Sargent, 76.
1852. Sarah, wife of Benjamin Bean, 84; Moses Dear-
born, 74 ; Mrs. Waldron Evans, 74 ; Henry Eaton, Esq., 75;
Richard Hoit, 72 ; Eliphalet Morse, 76 ; John Webster, who
came from Auburn, 85 ; Sally, wife of Benjamin Webster of
Kingston, 82.
1853. Joshua Hubbard, 79 ; Anna, wife of John Web-
ster, 90 ; Joseph Wiggins of Hooksett, 84.
1854. Martha, wife of Silas Cammet, 67 ; Eleazer B.
Cheney, 84 ; Maj. Thomas Dearborn, 80 ; Reuben Fitts, 76 ;
Mary, daughter of Deacon John Hills, 88 ; Keziah, wife of
William Robie, 79 ; Solomon Stevens, 94 ; Miss Nabby Sar-
gent, 78 ; Samuel Sargent, 80:
1855. Betsey, wife of Jonathan Bean, 82 ; Mrs. Hosea
Chase, 75; Mrs. Samuel Dearborn from Haverhill, Mass.,
72 ; Capt. Jonathan C. French, 83 ; Hannah, wife of Capt.
J. C. French, 81 ; Daniel McDuffee, Sr., 85 ; John Robin-
son, 74.
1856. Mrs. Phinehas Colby, 75 ; Mrs. Simon French, 79;
Theophilus Rundlett, 97 ; Judith, wife of Oliver Smith, 84 ;
Sarah, wife of John Wason, 74 ; Enoch Worthen, 89.
1857. Caleb Brown, 2nd., 89 ; Mary, wife of Maj. Thom-
as Dearborn, 82 ; Mehitable, wife of Peter Fifield, 77 ; John,
S. Gordon, 82 ; Dea. Anthony Langford, 85 ; Mrs. Jonathan
Martin, 70; John P. L. Rowe, 71 ; Moses, son of Capt. John,
Sargent, 79 ; Lucy, wife of Josiah Varnum, 71 ; at Man-
chester, Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, 73.
1858. Sarah, wife of Caleb Brown, 2nd., 80; Mrs. Hen-
ry Clark, 75 ; Nathaniel Emerson, 2nd., 84; Mrs. Abel
Lovejoy, 74; Lydia, wife of Samuel Morrill, 2nd., 87;,
Nancy, wife of Eliphalet Morse, 76 ; Mary, wife of John
404 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Robinson, 76 ; Jonathan Smith, 70 ; Miss Polly Smith,
daughter of BileyjSmith, St., 80 ; Margaret, wife of Dea. Sam-
uel Tuck, 75.
1859. Moses Bricket, 79 ; Sally, wife of Moses Bricket, 79 ;
Mr. Clifford, from Allenstown, 80 ; Jane, wife of Moses
Colby, 85 ; Hannah, wife of Henry Eaton, Esq., 78 ; Lydia
wife of Josiah French, 76 ; Mrs. Nehemiah Lovejoy, 79 ;
Dea. Josiah Shannon, 75.
i860. Mrs. David Griffin, 80 ; Miss Eliza Hills, daughter
of Dea. John Hills, 79 ; Joshua Lane, 70 ; Ann, wife of
Daniel McDuffee, Sr. , 86 ; Hannah, wife of Noah Rollins,
76 ; Sarah, wife of Deacon Josiah Shannon, 86 ; Deacon
Samuel Tuck,* 74.
1 86 1. Mrs. Eleazer Clark, from Chester, 77 ; Hannah,
wife of Moses S. Magoon, 84 ; Thomas Robinson, 79.
1862. John Dolber, 82 ; at Manchester, Mrs. Nathan
Fitts, 78 ; Peter Hall, 82 ; Mrs. Joshua Hubbard, 85 ; John
Murray, 85 ; Moses C. Magoon, 82 ; John Prescott, 79.
1863. William Brown, 73 ; Polly, wife of William Brown,
72; Mrs. John Clay, 72; Mrs. Richard Hoit, 76; Nancy,
wife of Benjamin Hall, 2nd., 72.
1864. Theophilus Currier, 92, 7 m. ; James Critchett,
2nd. ,75; Hosea Chase, 82; Capt. Jesse Eaton, 77; Han-
nah, wife of Moses French, 2nd., 85 ; Thomas jLang, 73 ;
Mrs. Thomas Lang, 72 ; Anna, wife of Jonathan Sargent,
92.
1865. John Dearborn, 82 ; Abraham Fitts, 2nd., 84 ; Su-
sannah, wife of Abraham Fitts, 87 ; Abigail Gordon, 87 ;
Parker Hills, 80; Miss Sarah Lane, 71 ; Moses Shannon, 77.
1866. Mr. Bunker, 80; Moses French, 2nd., 90; Obed
Hall, 79 ; Mrs. Caleb Hall, 88 ; Sargent Hall, 82 ; Nabby,
wife of John Lane, 81 ; Elizabeth, wife of John Murray, 84 ;
James Prescott, 77 ; Moses Rowe, 72
1867. Mehitable, wife of John Prescott, 93 ; Moses
Critchett, 74 ; Sarah, wife of Capt. Jesse Eaton, 82 ; Samuel
McDuffee, 73 ; John Robie, the saddler, 85 ; Amos Thorn,
81 ; Judith, wife of Theopilus Currier, 90.
1868. Jonathan Currier, son of Theophilus Currier, 72,
7 m. ; Dea. Joseph Dudley, 78 ; Mary Dudley, sister of Dea.
Joseph Dudley, 79 ; Abel Lovejoy, 89 ; Mehitable, wife of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 405
Willis Patten, 72 ; Polly, daughter of Sewell Brown, 84.
1869. Miss Sarah Buswell, sister of Mrs. Ira Rowe, 75 ;
Abiel, wife of Aaron Brown, 2nd., 70; True Foster, 74;
Mrs. R. Hunt, mother of Mrs. S. A. Davis, 71 ; Clarisa
Healey, 75 ; Hazen McDuffee, 77 ; Miss Mary Pillsbury,
89 At Manchester, Olive, wife of Samuel Moores, 87,
10 m. ; Mrs. Robert Moore, 78 ; Biley Smith, 2nd., 81 ; Han-
nah, wife of Andrew Seavy, 88 ; Capt. Gilman Richardson,
71, Mrs. Sarah Towle, 76; Betsey, wife of Jonathan Wor-
then, 93.
1870. Hannah, wife of Peter Eaton, 82 ; Mrs. Joseph
Martin, 90; Anna, wife of Joseph Taylor, 76.
1871. Maj. Simon French, 75; John Hobbs, 78; Sarah,
wife of Nehemiah Hardy, of Hooksett, 74 ; Nehemiah Mor-
rison, 76; Joseph Martin, 92; Abraham Bean, 2nd., 73.
1872. Jonathan Emerson, 72; Mrs. Noah Haynes, 72;
Jesse Smith, 78 ; Jonathan Sargent, son of Samuel Sargent,
71 ; Charles Smith who came from Hopkinton, 79 ; Eliza,
wife of John Sargent the trader, 7^.
1873. Sally, wife of Dea. Samuel Dudley, 79; Polly,
wife of John Dolber, 78 ; Joseph Bean, 82.
1874. Mary, wife of Nathaniel Emerson, 2nd., 96; Rev.
Silas Green, 74 ; John Hobbs, 74 ; Miss Anna Harris, 74 ;
Polly, wife of John Hobbs, 74 ; Ira Rowe, 71 ; Aaron Rowe,
74 ; Lydia, wife of Jesse Smith, 78 ; Sally, wife of James
Smith, 80 ; Saliy, wife of Enoch Baker, 79 ; Miss Nabby Lib-
bee, 71 ; Lydia, wife of Joshua Lane, 76; Col. Jeremiah
Lane, 77.
1875. Mrs. William S. Brown, 77 ; at Manchester, Capt.
Peter Eaton, 87 ; James K, Kemp, 77; David Norton, 83;
Daniel W. Robinson, 72; Mary, wife of Samuel Roberts,
77-
1876. Jonathan Burpee, 84 ; Mrs. Jonathan Brown, 84 ;
Mary, wife of Lt. Thomas Critchett, 87 ; Dea. Richard Cur-
rier, 84; Moses Emerson, 2nd., 90; Mrs. Jonathan Hall,
74 ; Mrs. Howe, 76 ; Herbert Moore, 71 ; Silden Moore, 71;
Robert Moore, 92 ; Betsey, wife of Henry Thresher.
1877. Mrs. Sarah Buckman, 70; Miss Sally Brown, 92 ;
Mrs. Samuel Buswell, 89 ; Nehemiah Brown, son of Sewell
Brown, 72 ; Mrs. Michael Burns, 80; Stephen Connor, 74 ;
406 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Stephen Colcord, 79; Ephraim Davis, 70 ; Susan Sherburne
daughter of Moses Emerson, Sr., 85 ; Rufus Hall, 7o ; Sarah,
wife of Moses Rowe, 80.
1878. Jonathan Brown, son of Nathan Brown, Sr., 86;
John Clay, 2nd., 78; Luke Hall, a Portuguese, 80; Sarah,
wife of Silden Moore, 77 ; Hannah, wife of Aaron Page, 87;
Benjamin Sawyer, 71.
1879. Michael Burns, 79; Mehitable, wife of Samuel Col-
cord, 82 ; Abigail, daughter of Nehemiah Colby, 84 ; Lyd-
ia, wife of Ephraim Davis, 79 ; Dolly, wife of Col. C. M.
French, 79; Mrs. Moses Gould, 78; Rev. Samuel Kent, 79 ;
Sarah, wife of Edmund Langley, 77 ; Frances, wife of Dr.
Isaiah Lane, 77 ; John Moore, Esq., 87 ; Joey Colby, wife
of Mr. Prescott, 84.
1880. Mrs. Jonathan Brown, mother Mrs. Isaiah Lang;
Mrs. Gordon Bean, 72 ; Asbury Buswell, 78: William Dona-
van, 75 ; Mrs. Joseph C. Langford, 71 ; Mary, wife of Dea.
Ezekiel Lane, 80; Jesse R. Towle, 78; Joseph Wescott,
transient, 80; William Donovan, 75; Josiah Clifford, 75;
Benjamin Cass, 76.
1 88 1. Mrs. Jacob Mead, 77 ; Mrs. Young, 75 ; John Ro-
bie, son of Walter Robie, 2nd., 85; Henry Thresher, 88;
Aaron Brown, 2nd., 88; Dea. Ezekiel Lane, 89; Mrs. Ju-
dith Dearborn, 89 ; Miss Nancy Hall, 83 ; J. Wesley Love-
joy, 70; Mrs. Joseph Fitts, 82 ; Mrs. Abraham Emerson, 79;
Rev. James Adams, 74; Col. Coffin M. French, 82; Moses
Johnson, 84 ; Mrs. David Gile 78.
1882. Samuel Buswell, 88; Mrs. Joshua Fitts, 81 ; Mrs.
Jonathan Martin, 75 ; Nathan Carr, 78 ; Abigail, wife of
John, son of Reuben Fitts, 84 ; Miss Sally Hall, 76 ; Barney
Donnelly, 76 ; C. Sargent French, 84.
1883. Freeman Parker, 85; Mrs. Robie, wife of John
Robie the saddler, 90 ; Mrs. Levi Barker, 79 ; John Ewer,
77 ; Mrs. Biley Smith, 92 ; Cyrus Prescott, 73 ; Hezekiah
Bean, 74 ; Daniel Hartford, 83.
1884. Widow Crawford, 83; Mrs. Joshua C. Hall, 70;
True French, 84; Mrs. Samuel Colcord, 88; Mrs. Daniel
Batchelder, formerly of Deerfield, 75; Mrs. Shaw, 84; Mrs.
Benjamin Hubbard, 81 ; Lydia Bethune, 84.
1885. Jonathan Brown, son of Nathan Brown, Sr., 86;
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 40J
Mrs. Nesmith, mother of Mrs. Alexander Gilchrist, 89 5
Gamaliel Drew, 85 ; Sargent Currier, 80 ; Miss Sally Nor-
ton, 87; Mrs. Parker Hill, 87 ; Mrs. Jesse Towle, 75; Mrs.
William Knowlton, 73, Lydia Dolber, 72; Josiah Richard-
son 72 ; Sally Dudley, 90 ; Sarah Martin, 87.
1886. Dolly B. Rollins, 93 ; Hannah Turner, 82 ; Capt.
John Smith, 86 ; Mrs. Mary B. Robinson 88 ; Phinehas
Healy, 87 ; Thomas M. Batchelder, 83 ; Sally West, 83 ;
Henry M. Eaton, 79 ; Christopher Boyce, 74 ; George
Schroggins, 78 ; Jeremiah Crowley, 80 ; Capt. True Smith,
84; Mrs. Jefferson Healey, 88; Mrs. George W. Robinson,
72; Mrs. Nehemiah Brown, 73 ; Mrs. Daniel B. Robinson,
76 ; Mrs. Nathaniel West, 83.
1887. Samuel G. W. Patten, 73 ; John Penney, 74 ; Mrs.
Hazen McDuffee, 86 ; Joseph C. Langford, 86 ; Nathan Cate,
70; Jonathan Martin, 83 ; Jefferson Healy, 82 ; Daniel Mc-
Duffee, 87; Mary, wife of John Moore, Esq., 90; William
Cushing, 70 ; Archibald Mc Duffee,85 ; George W. Robinson,
73 ; Dea. Gordon Bean, 79 ; Charles S. Bickford, 70.
1888. Jason Godfrey, 73 ; Benjamin P. Colby, 86 ; Ben-
jamin Hubbard, 87 ; Charles S. Emerson, 76 ; Mrs. Moses
Varnum, 79; Mrs. Joseph Pease, 87 Mrs. David Brickett,
70; Mrs. Moses Hall, 78.
1889. Mrs. True French, 86; Mrs. Charles S. Bickford,
81; Mrs. Frederick Fitts, 87; James Burnham, 7i ; John
Brown, 77; Dea. Francis Patten, 89; John C. Dearborn, 73.
At Manchester, Josiah Sargent, 87.
1890. Mary F. Hoyt, 75; Jefferson Griffin, 85 ; Benjamin
Taylor, 71 ; Mrs. William S. Healy, 72; Sarah Eaton, daugh-
ter of Col. H. T. Eaton, 85 ; Mrs. Moses Underhill, 76.
1891. Mrs. Edward Toomy, 74; Abraham Sanborn, 70;
Cornelius Regan, 97 ; Mary, wife of Jeremiah Bean, 95 ;
Abraham Emerson, 91 ; Mrs. Drinkwater, mother of the
wife of Dr. Foster, 75 ; Mrs. Horatio Rowe, 83 ; Charles
H. Parks, 80 ; Benjamin Dearborn, 80.
1892. At Raymond, Joseph Richardson, 84.
The above account of deaths, which, doubtless contain
:Some mistakes, was copied from the town books, the
records of Rev. Mr.Reade and those kept by private parties.
4o8
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
SNAKES.
Rattlesnakes were frequently found in the southern and
western sections of the town a hundred years ago ; but in
recent years, this species of snake has been rarely seen.
One was killed in 1890, by Joseph Hubbard, in his pasture
on the west side of Hall"s mountain, and one or two have
been recently seen near the old Anderson tavern on the
Turnpike. About one hundred years ago, Jonathan Rowe,
who then kept a store on the Candia North Road, while
riding upon horseback in Allenstown, a short distance west
of the residence of Col. Wilson in Candia, came upon a
monstrous rattlesnake which was lying in the road. He
dismounted, killed the reptile and found that it had
twenty-three rattles.
The black snake, though ordinarily harmless, has always
been the terror of women and children who were picking
berries in the fields and pastures, and sometimes even of
men. When a person comes suddenly and unexpectedly
upon a great snake of this sort, the sentiment of fear invol-
untarily produces a shudder or shock, followed by a very
violent beating of the heart which is far from being agreea-
ble. There are two varieties of black snakes, one is that
which is very common in the town, and another which is
long and comparatively slender, and which, when moving
rapidly, carries its head a foot or more above the ground.
This species is a very swift runner and is sometimes called a
racer. It has a cream colored ring from an eighth of an
inch to half an inch wide, passing around its neck just be-
hind its head. This sort of snake is comparatively scarce
and some people of the town have never seen one ; while
many other well known citizens, still living in various sec-
tions of the town, have seen and sometimes killed them.
Among the latter, George F. Patten, Charles Fifield and
Stephen Brown may be mentioned. Black snakes often
ascend trees in search of young birds by winding their
bodies spirally around their trunks, and many persons in
the town have shot and killed them while they were in the-
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
act of destroying an entire nest full of young fledglings, at
a point high up among the branches.
Several years ago, it was currently reported that Eaton
Pillsbury, a young son of Benjamin Pillsbury, whiledriving
some cows from his father's pasture, situated on the west
side of the road leading from the Corner to the Village and
near the residence of the late William Patten, was attacked
by a very large black snake and that the reptile coiled itself
tightly around his body. It was said that the boy scream-
ed for help, but before assistance arrived, he had succeed-
ed in cutting the snake in twain with his jackknife. Mrs.
Lewis Buswell, who then lived and still lives near the place
where young Pillsbury was attacked, states that many per-
sons who were in a position to know all about the circum-
stances of the case assured her that the above story was
true in every respect.
She also states that several years ago, she saw a large
ring necked black snake in the ac t of slowly crossing the
Burpee road a few steps distant from her residence.
The black snake belongs to the constrictor species of
serpents which by contracting the muscles of its body when
coiled around its prey is able to crush and kill it almost
instantly. George S. Brown, who resides on South Road,
while mowing a few years ago, seized a large black snake
by the tail when the reptile instantly coiled the fore part of
its body around the calf of one of his legs, holding the limb
in its folds with almost the pressure of a vise. He relieved
himself with much difficulty and killed the snake. His leg
became swollen and very painful and remained in that con-
dition several days.
In the spring of the year the snakes which have hyber-
nated together in large numbers in holes, ledges, old wells
and cellars, come forth in a semi-torpid state and are easily
killed. Sometimes fifty snakes are killed under these cir-
cumstances.
By far the greatest number of black snakes are less than
five feet long, while a few have been seen which were thought
to be nine or ten feet long. Enormously large snakes have
been seen in various localities in this town, among which
were Hall's mountain, East C'andia and the cross road ex-
4IO HISTORY OF CANDIA.
tending from High Street to South Deerfield may be men-
tioned.
Forty-five years ago a black snake eight and a half feet
long which was killed in Hooksett was brought to Man-
chester and placed in a glass jar rilled with alcohol and
water. A label, upon which was stated the dimensions of
the serpent and said to have been written by the late judge
S. D. Bell, was placed on the jar. The jar stood several
years in an upper room ot Smyth's Block which was leased
to the New Hampshire Agricultural Society.
William Norton who resides on the Deacon Merrill place
near Hall's mountain found in a pasture the forward part
of the cast off skin of a snake which was about eight and a
half feet long. It was estimated that the part of the skin which
was lacking was a foot and a half long if the snake was of
proper proportions. If such had been the case the reptile
must have been about ten feet long. It is said that Rev.
Mr. Stinchfield, who was pastor of the Methodist Society
about thirty-five years ago, was attacked by an extremely
large black snake while he was at work near his residence
at the north end of the Village. The snake managed to es-
cape without injury. George Weeks, who resides about
three-fourths of a mile below the Corner, states that in 1890
he killed a black snake about nine feet long in a pasture
which formerly belonged to Charles S. Emerson. Charles
Pettengill in corroboration of the claim that there are enor-
mosly large snakes in New Hampshire, states that he saw
a black snake which was killed near the railroad station in
Londonderry about twenty years ago which measured
eight and a half feet in length.
There are two kinds of adders in the town, one of which
is the common speckled house adder and the other the wa-
ter adder. The latter are found in ponds or in the deep and
sluggish waters of the streams. The former are perfectly
harmless. The bite "of the latter has been sometimes re-
garded as poisonous. Several persons however, who have
lived in town have been bitten by this kind of snake with-
out suffering any injury.
Snakes are hatched from eggs in the spring in large num-
bers— sometimes as many as fifty or more in one brood.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 411
When the mother, accompanied by her offspring becomes
suddenly alarmed, she sometimes opens her mouth and the
young snakes run into her body for protection. George F.
Patten in 1890 killed a large stripped snake, the body of
which contained forty-five young ones.
TRAMPS.
Many years ago the children in various parts of the town
were often much frightened by meeting upon the road
tramps or "old stragglers" as they were called. These
tramps, who were generally clothed in rags from head to
foot, were very dirty and offensive. Peter Varnum, or old
"Pete Varnum" as he was called, before he became old,
was stout and healthy ; but he would never do any work if
he could in any way avoid it. He wandered through Can-
dia, Raymond and other towns in the vicinity, sleeping in
barns and begging: his food from door to door. As he be-
longed to Raymond, he was a town charge there and the
chance for boarding him was sold to the lowest bidder at
auction. He sometimes stayed with the successful bidder
a few days, but when he was called upon to do some labor
he started off on his travels around the country. He final-
ly died from exposure at the age of 79 years in i860.
A vagrant by the name of Rundlett, who belonged in
Deerfield, made frequent excursions to Candia sixty-five
years ago. He also begged for food and slept in barns.
He was more repulsive in his looks and actions than Var-
num and boys were often much freightened upon meeting
him in the barn as he was descending from the scaffold.
Forty years ago, Italian tramps came to the town once in
a while begging for money to assist their starving wives
and children left behind them in that country. They
presented a greasy paper upon which a statement was made
to the effect that the bearers were worthy people whose
dwellings and fields had been overwhelmed in consequence
of a great eruption from the crater of Mount Vesuvius. Of
course they were knaves and vagabonds and their pitiful
stories were probably prepared in New York or some other
412 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
city for the purpose of working upon the sympathies of the
credulous and unsophisticated people in the country.
At one time the people of the town were greatly annoyed
by able bodied tramps who were too lazy to work and had
made begging a regular profession. A few years ago the
legislature passed a law by which this sort of begging was
made a state's prison offence and this nuisance was abated.
In cases of absolute necessity, the selectmen have always
afforded temporary relief to persons passing through the
town.
PHRENOLOGY.
About the year 1818, Dr. Francis Gall of Vienna in Aus-
tria claimed that he had discovered a new system of mental
and moral philosophy. He taught the doctrine that the
brain is the organ of the mind and that each special intel-
lectual faculty, each particular moral sentiment and each
one of the animal feelings or emotions has its seat in a speci-
fic portion of the brain as its organ. He claimed that the
organs of the intellectual faculties are located in the frontal
portion of the brain, the moral in the upper, or coronal re-
gion, the domestic or social feelings, in the back, or poste-
rior region and that the selfish or aggressive feelings are
located in the base of the brain. He also claimed that the
original strength of each faculty or emotion is in proportion
to the size of its organ, other things being equal ; and that
the brain is of the exact shape or form as that of the skull
in which it is enclosed. Under these circumstances it
was contended that the intellectual abilities and disposition
of a person can be determined by a careful exterior exami-
nation of every portion of the skull. Soon after Dr. Gall
had announced his discovery, he became associated with
Dr. John G. Spurzheim of Germany, and both visited the
chief cities in Europe for the purpose of lecturing upon this
new system and subjecting it to the severest tests. They
made many concerts among the most learned people in
France, Germany and Great Britain. Among the most
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 413
learned scientists and philosophers who embraced the sys-
tem in the^latter country was Dr. George Combe of Edin-
burgh who afterward published a very valuable treatise, en-
titled : " The Constitution of Man" in which he attempted
to show that there is the same difference in the original
strength of the moral endowments of the people in all na-
tions of the world that there is in their intellectual and phys-
ical powers — some being naturally kind, unselfish spiritu-
ally minded and forgiving to their enemies and willing to
suffer to promote the welfare and happiness of their fellow
men of every race and creed, while others are low and de-
graded. In view of these considerations he taught the
doctrine that there were the best of reasons why the most
debased and most desperately criminal should be regarded
with pity instead of hatred, inasmuch as they are the chil-
dren of an infinite Father who loves them even as fathers
and mothers love their offspring, whatever may have been
their failings, and desert them not even at the foot of the
gallows.
Phrenology was introduced into the United States about
the year 1830 and soon afterwards scores of mountebanks
of little learning or ability, with a superficial knowledge
of the system entered the lecture field and by telling a good
many silly stories, and by making a good deal of fun in
their examinations at so much a head, managed to take in
the shekels in a wonderfully successful manner.
The first prenologist to visit Candia came to the town in
1843 and held forth in the vestry of the Congregational
church. David P. Rowe, the school master about that time
was greatly interested in the new doctrine and made many
examinations of the heads of the people as an amateur and
without reward.
The novelty of phrenology at length wore away and sen-
sible people became disgusted with the pretentions of its
ignorant advocates and, as a consequence, professional
prenologists have been scarce in New England during the
past few years. A few honest and patient seekers after the
truth who have made a critical and thorough study of the
subject have become satisfied that phrenology affords the
most complete and philosophical analysis of the functions
414 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
t
and classification of the human faculties and feelings,
which has hitherto been discovered.
CELEBRATIONS.
The declaration of the independence of the colonies at
Philadelphia on July 4th, 1776, has often been celebrated by
the people of Candia, but there are now only a few records
or recollections of those occasions. The first celebration of
which we have any account was that of 181 2 when the offi-
cers and members of the Washington Benevolent Society
paraded with music jand then marched to a pleasant
enclosure near the highway on the place which originally
belonged to Lt. Abraham Fitts, senior, and is now owned by
Frank E. Page. Addresses were made, toasts were given
and there were various other exercises. Two or three aged
persons of the town who were small boys at the time still
remember some of the details of the affair.
In 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration was cel-
ebrated by the artillery company commanded by Capt. Eb-
enezer Nay which paraded and fired a national salute near
the old Congregational meeting house. In the afternoon,
Rev. Joseph Wheat of Canaan, the father of Dr. Wheat,
preached a sermon in the old church from the following
text : "Oh! that men would praise the Lord tor his goodness
and his wonderful works to the children of men." The
preacher, who was a soldier of the Revolution, related some
of his experiences in that war and referred to the grand re-
sults of the great contest in a very earnest and eloquent
manner. Rev. Mr. Wheeler assisted in the exercises of the
occasion.
On that day Jefferson, the author, and John Adams, the
great advocate of the Declaration, expired. On July 4th,
1828, David Pillsbury, the first graduate of a college from
Candia, delivered an eloquent oration at the old church be-
fore a large audience. He was escorted to the church by
a procession of citizens from Moses Fitts' hall. The pro-
cession was accompanied by a band of musicians, among
whom was Col. Samuel Cass, with the head of his bass-
viol securely tied to his neck by a bandanna handkerchief
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 4 I 5
was most conspicuous. The way he sawed upon the
strings of his instrument as he marched along was very in-
teresting to the by-standers. A large audience was present
at the church. A salute was fired by the artillery during
the day.
On July 4th, i83i,the Candia Temperance Society, which
was organized about the beginning of that year, met at Mas-
ter Moses Fitt's hall early in the afternoon and marched in
procession to the church, where a temperance address was
delivered by a minister from Barrington, named Barry.
The day was fine and the people in their best attire, turned
out in large numbers. The address, which was quite an
able effort, was well spiced with humorous anecdotes,
greatly pleased the audience. On the return of the proces-
sion to the hall, on motion of John Lane, Esq., a committee
was appointed to request the orator to furnish a copy of his
address for the press, but he declined to do so.
On July 4th, 1844, a large number of the young people,
had a celebration in a grove situated in Capt. Peter Eaton's
pasture, near the old school house in District No. 2. Sever-
al of the people of the town that year attended a great cel-
ebration of the day at Manchester by the Whig and Demo-
cratic parties. The Whig party celebrated in a grove at
one side of the town and the Democrats at the opposite
side.
On the 4th of July, 1848, the one hundredth anniversary
of the settlement of the town was observed by a gathering
of people at the Congregational meeting house. Francis
B. Eaton delivered an appropiate historical address and
there were various other exercises.
On the July 4th, 1858, there was a celebration in a grove
situated near High Street, upon land now owned by George
Brown, and a few rods southwest of the old Ordway place
on a portion of old Caleb Brown place, now owned by
Abraham Wallace.
The one hundredth anniversary of the organization of the
Congregational church was celebrated at the present Con-
gregational meeting house in i8fb. Rev. James H. Fitts,
a great grandson of Lt. Abraham Fitts, one of the original
members of the church, delivered an address, in which
4l6 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
he gave interesting biographical sketches of the various
clergymen who had been settled over the society previous
to that time. Among the speakers on the occasion, were
Ex-Governor Smyth and Francis B. Eaton, former residents
of Candia.
In 1876, the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence was celebrated. At sunrise the bells of the
churches were rung, an artillery salute was fired and a
large company in military garb marched from the village
to the Railroad Depot. At nine o'clock a procession march-
ed from the Depot Village to a grove, situated on the farm
of John Moore, Esq., near the corner in the following or-
der : 1. A military escort, consisting of a company of in-
fantry with flint lock muskets, under the command of Geo.
Anderson. 2. The Veteran soldiers of the war of the Re-
bellion, belonging to Candia, commanded by Capt. J. Lane
Fitts. 3. A squadron of cavalry, commanded by Col. Rich-
ard J. Sanborn of Deerfield. The batallion accompanied
by the Candia Cornet Band, was commanded by Frank
Robie. 4. The President and orator of the day, the Com-
mittee of Arrangements, invited guests and a concourse of
citizens. Plumer W. Sanborn was chief marshal and was
assisted by A. F. Patten, E. P. Ingalis and J. Rowland Batch-
elder. Austin Cass, chairman of the Committee of Ar-
rangements introduced Rufus E. Patten as President of the
day. After various preliminary exercises, Rev. James H.
Fitts delivered an address, in which he gave a sketch of the
war of the Revolution and a detailed account of the part
the people of Candia performed in the great struggle. Af-
ter dinner which was served upon the grounds, the Presi.
dent read the names of the Candia soldiers who served in
the Revolutionary war, and then Woodbury J. Dudley
the toast master read various toasts which were responded
to as follows: 1. The day we celebrate, response by the
band. 2. The clergy of 1776, response by Rev. J. E.
Lovejoy. 3. The mothers and daughters of 1776, response
by Rev. J. E. Frye. 4. The church and school, response
by N. C. Lathrop. 5. Candia Cornet Band, response by'the
band. 6. Our native'soil, response by Francis B. Eaton.
Our guests from abroad, response by Capt. W. R. Pat-
JOSEPH 1'. DUDLEY
Sketch, page 5°7
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 417
ten of Manchester. 8. What the fathers established in suf-
fering and sacrifice, the sons will cherish and defend, res-
ponse by J. Lane Fitts. 9. The town of Candia, response
by Wilson Palmer of Illinois. In the evening there was a
display of fireworks.
The following are the names of Vice Presidents, who rep-
resented the fourteen school districts : No. 1, John Moore,
John Smith; No. 2, Nehemiah Brown, N. B. Hall; No. 3,
Henry M. Eaton, Benjamin Cass ; No. 4, Abraham Emer-
son, Coffin M.French ; No. 5, True French, Benjamin Hub-
bard ; No. 6, Joseph Cate, Elias P. Hubbard ; No. 7, Jona-
than Martin, Levi Bean ; No. 8, Jesse R. Fitts ; No. 9, Ja-
cob S. Morrill; No. 10, Gordon Bean; No. 11, Joseph C.
Langford, John Brown ; No. 12, Rufus E. Patten ; No. 13,
Archibald McDufne.
Various relics of Revolutionary times, consisting of pow-
derhorns, muskets and other military impliments, were ex-
hibited on the occasion. At the close of the exercises the
procession reformed and marched to the Corner, where a
military review took place.
MAY DAY.
On the first day of May, 1844, a large number of the
young men and women belonging to the town, enjoyed a.
May Day festival in the shade of a great clump of pine-
trees which then stood on "the Plain," about half a mile
south of High Street and opposite the residence of Isaac N.
Fitts. Among the members of the party, were Hannah,.
Abbie. Emily and Lucretia Lane ; Sarah, Mary, Martha,.
Hannah, Caroline and Jane Eaton ; Mary, Sarah and Juliai
French; John D. Patterson, Coffin Moore, Fran:is B. Eaton,
S. Freeman Rowe and the author of this history. The day
was fine and the first item of the programme was a ramble
in the woods and pastures for May flowers and checkerber-
ries which are very abundant in Candia. The merry party
then sat down on improvised seats made of rough pine
boards from the fences near the tall pines and partook of a
27
4l8 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
nice collation, after which songs, stories and other enter-
tainments were in order.
MESMERISM.
In 1842, the subject of mesmerism was introduced into
New Hampshire. By a peculiar move-pent of the hands of
one person over the head and along the arms of another
who sits in a perfectly passive condition, the latter, if sus-
ceptible to an influence not yet fully understood, is soon #
thrown into a sleep or trance and is held in that condition
at the will of the former. The subject, or mesmerized per-
son, often becomes so insensible to outward impressions,
that his teeth may be extracted and severe surgical opera-
tions may be performed upon him without causing him
pain. The person operated upon, when in the trance, will
sometimes discourse upon a variety of subjects with far
greater ability than is possible for him to do in his normal
state. It is claimed that many persons in the mesmerized
condition become clairvoyants, or clear seeing, and are
able to accurately describe places and persons many miles
distant and far beyond the reach of their ordinary senses ;
and are also able to read the thoughts and feelings of per-
sons which are not expressed in speech or by any other
signs whatever. Mesmerism was practiced in Candia forty-
five years ago to a considerable extent. Some young per-
sons who lived then on North Road became particularly fa-
mous locally as operators and subjects in this line. The
strange phenomena which is now usually called hypnot-
ism is at this time attracting the attention of philosophers
in Europe and America.
DECORATION DAY.
Two or three years after the close of the war of the Re-
bellion, it became the custom in the Northern States to dec-
orate with flags and flowers the graves of deceased soldiers
who served in the Union army. It was arranged that the
ceremony should take place in the various cities and towns
simultaneously upon one of the last days of May. Deco-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 419
ration day has been observed in Candia during- thirty-
years, and the town has annually appropriated a small sum
to defray the necessary expenses. The ceremony is per-
formed by the members of the D. B. Dudley Post, G. A. R.,
of the town.
MARKING SOLDIERS' GRAVES
At the annual town meeting- in March, 1877, it was voted
to appropriate the sum of $150 for the purpose of placing
a small marble monument over the graves of Candia sol-
diers who were buried in town. Col. Rufus E. Patten was
appointed agent to procure and set the monuments in their
proper places. Col. Patten, in due time, reported that he
had attended to the duties assigned him, and that 118 sol-
diers graves had been identified and suitably marked. The
whole name of each soldier and the date of the war in which
he served is inscribed upon the monuments. With the ex-
ception of one or two mistakes, the work was well done
and a vote of thanks was extended to Col. Patten by the
citizens of the town. The monuments were furnished by
C. F. Greeley of Exeter.
ENLARGING THE OLD CEMETERY.
At the annual meeting in 1890, it was voted to enlarge
the old cemetery near the Congregational church by the
purchase from Albert Bean of a parcel of land adjoining
the south and west sides of the said old burial eround.
The land, consisting of about one acre, was accordingly
purchased and a considerble part of it was laid out into
burial lots.
THE SOLDIERS MONUMENT.
In the beginning of 1892, Hon. Frederick Smyth offered to
furnish at his own expense an appropriate monument in
honor of the soldiers belonging to Candia, who served in
the armies of the United States in defence of the Union,
on conditon that the town would provide a suitable found-
420 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ation for the structure. At the annual town meeting of that
year it was voted to accept the generous offer and to ap-
propriate the sum of $200 for the construction of the found-
ation of the monument. The base of the monument is to
be a handsome block of granite on the top of which there
will stand a bronze figure of a Union Soldier.
RECEPTION OF G0Y. SMYTH.
In February, 1879, a committee of the citizens of the town
invited Gov. Smyth to give a public address before the
people of the town relating to his travels in the various
countries of the Old World. Gov. Smyth accepted the in-
vitation and upon his arrival at the railroad station, at the
time appointed, accompanied by his wife, he was escorted
to the Congregational church by the Lane Rifles, in com-
mand of Capt. H. T. Eaton, headed by the Candia Band.
A large audience was present at the church. Moses F.
Emerson, Esq., presided and he introduced the guest of
the evening in a short address, after which Gov. Smyth
gave a somewhat detailed acco.mt of the visit of himself
and wife to Egypt, Palestine and other places of historic
interest. In the course of his address he spoke of passing
near the shores of the Island of Candia in the Mediterran-
ian sea on the passage from Naples to Alexandria, and how
their thoughts went back to Candia the place of their birth,
which was named for the island famous in history hun-
dreds of years before America was discovered by Colum-
bus.
TIME-PIECES.
The earliest instuments used in the town for keeping
time were the sun dial and hour-glass. The dials, made
of pewter, consisted of a circular disk upon the outer edge
of which were figures to indicate the hours and, in the cen-
tre, an upright, triangular piece called the gnomon.
The instrument was tightly fastened to a window stool
facing the sun and as the sun moved apparently from the
east to west a shadow was cast by the gnomon upon the
HISTORY OF Cx\NDIA. 42 1
figures on the dial. In the daytime, when the sky was
clear, the dial gave the time correctly.
The hourglass consisted of two wooden cups in form of
a tunnel of exactly the same size, capable of holding about
a quarter of a pint of fine dry sand. The two cups were
united at the small ends. The size of the aperture of the
small ends of the cups were so graduated that a cupful of
sand would run from one of the cups to the other in the
space of one hour. By inverting the position of the cups,
the sand in the full one would run back into the other. By
enlarging the opening in the small end of the cups the sand
was made to run out in two or three minutes, as might be
desired. Specimens of the sun dials and hour glasses are
still in the possession of some of the families in the
town.
The first clocks were probably introduced about the year
1795. The works were made by hand and the clocks were
made to run eight days. The cost of these clocks was
about fifty dollars; the most of them were probably made
by Abiel and Timothy Chandler of Concord. Among those
who owned eight day brass clocks previous to 1815 were
William Robie, Benjamin Pillsbury, Samuel Anderson,
Moses Fitts, Jonathan Pillsbury, John Carr, Nathaniel
Rowe, Benjamin Hubbard.
In 1826, wooden clocks were made in Connecticut in
great numbers and sold in all the states of the Union. In
1827, a peddler from Connecticut sold a large number of
this kind in Candia, which were made by H. Hoadly of
Plymouth in that state. The peddler would call at a
house and ask the privilege of setting up one of his clocks
for trial. The family genenally consented and the works
of a clock were set up on a little shelf in a corner of a room.
In three or four months, the peddler would call around to
enquire for his clock, and he was almost always sure to
find that the family had become so attached to the time
piece that they could not bear to have it taken away. Af-
ter running sixty-five years, some of these wooden clocks,
which cost about eight dollars, are still in use in the town
and keeping good time.
422 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
James Critchett, who lived on Lot No. i in the northwest
part of the town, was a very ingenious mechanic and
made wooden clocks and repaired watches and clocks.
There were but few watches in town previous to 1820,
and few could afford to buy them. Most of the watches,
which were then owned in the United States, came from
England and Switzerland. Within the past twenty years
great manufactories of watches have been erected in this
country and vast quantities of tae finest quality are made
by machinery. A very good time keeper with nickel plat-
ed case can now be had for^five or six dollars.
WITCHCRAFT.
The Pilgrims and Puritans who settled in New England
inherited from their ancestors in England a belief in witch-
craft. Prof. E. D. Sanborn of Dartmouth college, in re-
ferring to this delusion in his History of New Hampshire,
says, "the Pilgrims and their children believed in witchcraft
because it was the transmitted creed of all the preceding
ages; the churches preached it; the law punished it; the Bi-
ble taught it and the people feared it." It was supposed that
Satan sometimes made a compact with certain people by
which they agreed to serve him, and, in return, were giv-
en supernatural powers, and could fly swiftly through the
air and pass through a key-hole unseen, walk like a fly on
the ceiling, take the form of a cat or some other animal,
snuff out the candle, overturn a load of hay, cause the
cows to hold their milk, make it impossible for the butter
to form by churning, call up the spirits of the dead and to
worry and afflict people in divers ways.
The New Hampshire Provincial Assembly at Portsmouth,
in 1679, passed the following act: "If any Christian called
a witch that is or hath a witch or connected with a famil-
iar spirit, he or they shall be put to death." Similar laws
were enacted in Massachusetts and many excellent men
and women were tried, convicted and hung for witchcraft
on the testimony of ignorant fanatics, who ought to have
been whipped smartly through the streets to cure them of
their folly and wickedness.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. * 423
A hundred years ago and more, many of the people of
Candia firmly believed in witches and many of the troub-
les and misfortunes they encountered, which they could
not readily explain, were attributed to witches living in the
town.
Several very excellent women who lived in various parts
of the town, at that time, were thought to be witches by
very foolish persons simply because they were eccentric
in their ways and manners. In one case a farmer's wife,
who had churned all day long, was unable to change the
cream to butter. At length it was supposed that the diffi-
culty was caused by the spirit of a witch, which had got
into the churn. A horse shoe heated very hot was thrown
into the foaming cream, and the housewife, after churning
a few minutes, was rejoiced to find the butter had come all
ri^ht without further trouble. The stupid family believed
the heated horse shoe had burned the spirit of the witch
and drove it away. They did not know the hot horse shoe
raised the temperature of the cream and caused the won-
derful phenomenon they had witnessed. Numerous other
cases illustrating the superstition of the times could be re-
lated.
People used to nail horse shoes over their doors to keep
out witches and horse shoes may still be seen over doors
of some of the houses in the town. In old times the peo-
ple firmly believed in signs, good and bad. To see the new
moon over the right shoulder was considered agoodomen,
but a bad one when seen over the left shoulder. When the
horns of the new moon appeared in a nearly perpendicular
position, it was said to be a sign of rain, but when they ap-
peared in a horizontal position, it was a sign of a drought.
A dog howling in the night, or a bug ticking in the wall of
a room, were signs that some of the family would soon die.
Nobody would get married, start on a journey or com-
mence some important business on Friday. Christ died on
Friday and therefore it was a day of gloom and sadness.
Nearly all persons convicted of murder or other capital
crimes have been executed on Friday. Chief Justice Doe
of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, in order to express
his contempt for such foolish whims, has for some time
424 ' HISTORY OF CANDIA.
been in the habit of sentencing criminals to be executed on
Tuesday or some other day in the week rather than on Fri-
day.
It will no doubt be many a long day before the majority
of the]inhabitants of the earth will comprehend the fact that
the universe is governed by unerring and unchanging laws
at all times and under all conditions.
THE INDIANS.
A few arrow heads, stone gouges and other Indian im-
plements have been found in various parts of the town,
which show that the aborigines frequently visited the lo-
cality for the purpose of hunting wild game or fishing, but
there is no evidence that they ever had a permanent settle-
ment here. For some time after old Chester was first set-
tled the Indians were beligerent and it has been said that
Lieut. Thomas Smith and one John Karr, (not the Carr who
came to Candia, ) was captured, in 1720, and carried off.
The first settlers of Chester for a number of years lived in
houses quite near to each other and built a garrison, or
fort, to which they could flee in case of an Indian alarm.
During the French-Indian war, the people of that town
were in considerable danger of Indian attacks, but no great
harm was done. Massabesic Lake was a fine fishing place
and the Indians dwelt near its shores in considerable num-
bers, and cultivated and raised corn, beans, etc., to some
extent. Many Indian relics have been found in Auburn
and vicinity. The early settlers of Candia never had any
trouble on account of Indians.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
The electric telegraph first came into practical use, in
1844. S. F. B. Morse, a distinguished portrait painter of
New York city, about that time invented a method of pro-
ducing signs for all the letters by transmitting a current of
electricity through an iron wire. The first electric line which
was established in the world for use was that which ran
between Baltimore and the city of Washington. The first
X
►J
G
Q
O
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 425
public message which passed over the line was the an-
nouncement that James K. Polk had been nominated at
Baltimore as the Democratic candidate for President. The
first submarine ocean telegraph was laid between England
and the United States, in 1858, the cable being sunk to the
depth of more than two miles in the deepest part of the At-
lantic ocean. A telegraph line between Manchester and
Portsmouth passed through Candia on the line of the rail-
road more than thirty years ago but no telegraph station
was established in Candia until 1891.
THE TELEPHONE.
The invention of an instrument by which sounds could
be transmitted by an electric current and a conversation
carried on between two persons who are hundreds of miles
apart was made in 1877. Five years later, the New Eng-
land Telephone Company established a line between Dea.
W. J. Dudley's store at the village and Manchester, Boston
and many other places in the country. By the use of this
instrument addresses or sermons delivered in a public
building can be heard by people situated many miles dis-
tant. Sermons delivered by Henry Ward Beecher in his
church in Brooklyn, were distinctly heard in various other
cities. The invention of the electric light was made about
the year 1878 and came into use in many cities four years
later. Though there are no electric lights in Candia, the
people of the town can see the beautiful reflections upon
the clouds of those in use at Manchester.
LIBERTY POLES.
For a number of years previous to 1828, a tall liberty
pole stood in the Village opposite the present residence of
W. J. Dudley and close to the remains of the old poplar
tree. Other liberty poles have been erected in various
places, but by far the finest and tallest was one which stood
for several years on the common opposite the front end of
the Congregational church. It was erected during the
great political campaign of 1856, by the Republicans. The
426 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
pole, consisting of a very tall main-mast with a mast-head
and a top-mast, was about 150 feet high. When the pole
was dedicated and the first national standard was raised to
the top there was a great political gathering and various
speeches were made. The flag stood through several presi-
dential campaigns, but it finally became decayed and was
torn down. During the presidential campaigns of the past
forty years there have been flag raisings in various parts of
the town, including the Village, the Corner, Depot Village,
East Candia and High street.
THE SECRET BALLOT.
At the session of the State Legislature, in 1891, a law, was
enacted by which each voter at the polls was required to
enter a secret place unattended and deposit the ballot of his
choice in an envelope. The ballot with its contents was
then to be presented to the moderator in the usual manner.
The new system is called the Australian ballot as it
first came into use in that country.
INTEMPERANCE.
Until within about sixty years, the people of Candia, in
common with those of all other towns in New England,
were in the habit of using spirituous liquors or other intox-
]cating drinks to a greater or less extent as a beverage. All
classes of people, including ministers and deacons, indulged
in the use of spirits as a luxury and a pleasure, while some
believed that very hard work, like haying and building a
wall, could not be well performed without a moderate use
of alcoholic liquors. At raisings, weddings, funerals, or-
dinations and on other public occasions, rum, brandy and
other alcoholic liquors were provided as a matter of course.
Liquors were sold at stores as freely as coffee, tea, mo-
lasses or sugar, and, when a good customer with his wife
or friends entered a store for the purpose of trading, the
proprietor often politely invited them to take a dram as a
matter of courtesy, or policy and perhaps both. At %town
meetings, tents were erected near the porch at the east end
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 427
of the old meeting house and rum and molasses, some-
times called black strap, were dealt out to the voters for
three cents a glass. Sometimes the boys from eight to
twelve years old were treated to a drink of rum and molas-
ses by their seniors and the aforesaid boys enjoyed that
sort of fun quite as well as they did the sticks of molasses
candy, and sometimes they became a little boozy.
All well-to-do farmers made large quantities of cider,'
sometimes as many as fifty barrels or more. There was a
cider mill in every neighborhood and many of the people
were foolish enough to believe that it was about as neces-
sary to have a great supply of cider in the cellar as it was
to provide a goodly store of corn, potatoes and other farm
products. It seems incredible that a man could drink a
gallon or more of cider a day and follow it up year in and
year out. Many cider drinkers of this sort became miser-
able sots.
The great majority of the people at that time could enjoy
a glass of rum or brandy or a tumbler of cider with moder-
ation and had a sufficient degree of moral force to control
their appetites within proper bounds, attended to their
business and faithfully performed their duties to their fam-
ilies.
In 1 83 1, a movement in favor of temperance was com-
menced in the town. William H. Duncan and various
other citizens delivered addresses on the subject. A tem-
perance society was organized at Master Fitts' hall and a
large number of the people, both old and young, signed the
pledge. Among the latter were Josiah Shannon, Austin
Cass, Frederick Smyth anci Thomas Wheat. Since that time,
hundreds of temperance lectures have been given in the
town and still the evil has not been eradicated. In 1855, a
stringent law forbidding the sale of intoxicating drinks was
enacted. In some of the towns the law has been enforced,
but in most of the cities and large towns, little attention
has been paid to the statute as a general rule, except at rare
intervals. It may be said, however, that in many of the
smaller towns the people are more temperate than were
those of sixty years ago, while in the cities and many of
the large towns, very large numbers of the people are
428 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
afflicted with the habit of using liquors to excess. It would
seem that, so long as a large number of persons are born
with an appetite for stimulants of some kind, there will be
more or less drunkards.
ASA FITTS' ACADEMY.
While Asa Fitts was trading on High street, in the fall of
1837, he conceived a plan for erecting a large academy on
a part of his father's farm on the "plain," about one-fourth
of a mile south of the present residence of Franklin A.
Hall. He believed that, if a fine seminary of learning was
established on that elevated and beautiful spot there would
be no difficulty in attracting large numbers of pupils from
the cities and towns in New England and that soon a
flourishing village in the locality would be the result.
With these brig-ht visions of future glory, Asa, in Novem-
ber of that year, laid the foundations of the building and
great loads of timber, boards and shingles were hauled to
the place from the saw and shingle mills on North Road.
A number of carpenters were employed to construct the
frame and a day was set for the raising. But, alas! on the
morning of the day appointed, a furious snowstorm was
raging and soon the ground was covered with snow to the
depth of more than two feet. Othe- storms soon followed
and the timbers for the frame of the a^1 demy were covered
with snow drifts, and the great raising was indefinitely
postponed. Asa was heavily in debt, his creditors were
clamorous for their dues and he was obliged to suspend
business. John Moore, Esq., was appointed assignee, the
goods were sold andthe store was closed. In a few months
afterwards Asa and his family removed to Boston. He
taught singing: schools and en°fa°:ed in various other kinds
of business there. When modern spiritualism came into
vogue, in 1850, Asa became a very enthusiastic convert
and gave various lectures upon the subject. After his wife
died, he removed to Waltham, Mass., and, in the course of
a few years, he became a hermit and lived upon a secluded
spot some distance from other people of the town. At
length, he became somewhat insane and believed th at he
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 4^9
held direct intercourse with spirits who had lived on the
earth. It is said he verily thought that he was visaed at
times by the spirit of his grandfather, Lieut. Abraham Fitts,
a Revolutionary officer of Candia. Lieut. Fitts and the
most of his descendents, were musicians and Asa believed
that his grandsire, on his visits from the Celestial regions,
performed various tunes upon the fife, his favorite instru-
ment. Asa died in 1878, aged 68. His remains were in-
terred in the old cemetery in Candia.
DEBATING CLUBS.
About the year 1830, a considerable number of the citi-
zens and young men and women of the town formed a
literary society called "The Candia Literary Club" and once
a week during the fall and winter, they met at the old school
house in District No. 2, for debate and exercises in declam-
ation, dialogues, etc. The school house was usually
crowded on such occasions. A weekly paper called "The
Flying Battle Ax," edited by Julia Rowe and Emily Eaton
was read at the meetings. Many of the articles which
were written by the editors and contributors wefe able and
interesting, especially those containing hard hits at the fol-
lies and vices of the times. At that period, the temperance
movement had just commenced and the opponents of the
reform were handled without gloves, though no names
were mentioned. When these articles were read there
were often decided tokens of disapprobation on the part of
some persons in the audience. Among those who were
members of the club were Moses H. and Franklin Fitts,
Alfred M. Colby, Richard E. Lane, Francis Patten, Abra-
ham Emerson, Samuel Cass, Henry Clough, Nehemiah
Colby and John Rowe. In the winter of 1831, the exer-
cises were varied by a mock trial of Henry Clough on the
charge of stealing a rooster. There was a judge and a jury
of twelve persons, Franklin Fitts was the prosecuting at-
torney and Richard E. Lane appeared for the defence. After
the charge by the judge, the jury retired and considered the
case. In a few minutes they returned a verdict of not
guilty.
43° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
At this time the Bunker Hill monument had reached a
height of only about eighty feet and the work had been
suspended several years for the want of funds. At one of
the meetings of J:he club the following question was dis-
cussed: "Ought the Bunker Hill monument to be finished
at once?" Richard E. Lane, one of the speakers in the
affirmative, quoted the peroration of the famous speech
which Daniel Webster delivered when the corner stone of
the monument was laid by Lafayette, in 1825, without giv-
ing any credit to the great orator. Moses H. Fitts, who
kept the school in the district in the winter of 1832, sup-
ported the negative side of the question and informed the
audience just where Lane got the materials for his great
effort, much to his discomfiture.
Some of the speakers displayed much ability in debates,
among whom Richard E. Lane was one of the most con-
spicuous.
In the winter of 1831, and 1832, when the old debating
club was in the height of its glory, some of the younger
boys from eleven to fifteen years old, formed a debating
society called "The Candia Juvenile Club." This also met
at the old District No. 2 school house and made thinsrs
quite lively in their way. Among the members were
Austin Quincy Cass, George Fitts, Thomas Wheat, Fred-
erick Smyth and Waterman Read. Debating clubs were
nourishing institutions in the town for many years.
In 1848, a club composed of the bright young men of
that time met for debate in the vestry of the present Con-
gregational church. In February of that year, the follow-
ing question was discussed, "Is the World improving in
morals?" Great interest was manifested in the discussion,
which continued two evenings, John Lane , Esq. , presided.
On the second evening of the debate. Rev. Mr. Thayer, of
Windham, delivered a short lecture in which he favored
the parochial school system where the pupils could be
taught certain doctrines of religion, to take the place of the
common schools. After the lecture the discussion of the
subject relating to moral improvement was resumed. One
of the speakers, who had been appointed to support the
negative side of the question, ventured to criticise the re-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 43 I
marks of Rev. Mr. Thayer and also replied to the argument
introduced by one of the speakers in the affirmative that
the people of the world were becoming- more moral by the
establishment of missions in heathen lands. Near the
close of the exercises, Rev. Mr. Murdock arose and most
solemnly advised the audience to give no heed to the re-
marks of the speaker in the negative referred to, but he
made no reply whatever to his arguments and paid no
attention to the presiding officer. This attempt to dictate
to the people what they should believe concerning the re-
marks which had been made or what th«y should reject
was not received with favor by the audience. Of late years
there have been debating societies at the Village as well as
upon the "Hill.'' A good society of this kind is one of the
very best institutions for disciplining and strengthening
the mind and should be at all times encouraged.
SPELLING SCHOOLS.
Sometimes the exercises in the schools were varied by
spelling matches or choosing and spelling, as it was some-
times called. The spellers were chosen alternately by two
of the best in the class and formed into two divisions, each
of the leaders endeavoring to secure those who coulu spell
the best. After the words in the regular lesson had been
spelled several hard and unusual words were selected by
the leaders of one class to be spelled by the members of
the other. Each leader would search the Bible or the dic-
tionary for the hardest "jaw-breakers" and much of the suc-
cess of one or the other parties depended upon their ability
to spell the hard words. At one time Ephraim Eaton,
son 01 Peter Eaton, who was the leader of a class, selected
from Webster's spelling book the monosylable "iz" for his
opponents to spell. The best spellers, thinking that the
word was of a very complex character, spelled it in all
sorts of ways but the right way. One spelled it "eihtz"
another "eitz" and another "ettz." The word was passed
down the class of more than twenty pupils to Jonathan
Varnum, or "Jock" Varnum as he was often called, without
being spelled correctly. "Jock," who was the poorest
432 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
speller in the class, spelled the word as it should be and
great was the chagrin of the good spellers when they found
that it was only one of the a. b. abs. after all. "Eph's"
cunning trick worked to perfection and showed that in an
emergency he was a strategist of the first order.
SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS.
The examination of the schools in the several districts of
the town by superintending and prudential committees at
the close of the summer and winter terms was an impor-
tant occasion sixty-five years ago to the pupils and their
parents and,friends. The pupils always appeared in their
best attire. The writing books of the scholars were first
examined by the committee and the assemblage of other
visitors for the purpose of tracing their progress in the art
from the big coarse hand of the new beginners up to the
elegant specimens of the older pupils. Among the copies
set by the teachers the following are still remembered by
some of the pupils of that day: ''The sword has slain its
thousands, strong drink its tens of thousands."
"Seize upon truth wherever found,
On Christian or on heathen ground."
The latter motto was not found in the Sunday School
books or primers of the day, but some people think that it
is none the worse on that account.
The pupils were examined in arithmetic, grammar, ge-
ography and reading. At the close of the winter term,
when all the larger scholars were in attendance, there were
exercises in declamations, dialogues, etc. At the close of
the winter school of District No. 2, in 1824, Franklin Fitts
delivered an extract from Gen. Warren's address in the Old
South Church of Boston, in 1774, in commemoration of the
"Boston Massacre,'' when five American citizens were shot
in King street, now State street, by a detachment of Brit-
ish troops. The address, which was found in the Colum-
bian Orator, began with the following words: "When we
turn over the historic page and trace the rise and fall of em-
pires." After Fitts' declamation two of the young men,
who were nearly full grown, enacted the scene from Shake-
WOODBURY J. DUDLEY.
Sketch, page 508.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 433
peare Julius Cesar where Brutus and Cassius indulge in quite
an exciting little quarrel. The actors on the occasion re-
ferred to borrowed the uniforms and swords of a couple of
the officers of the Candia Light Infantry and as the two
fierce Romans represented in the scene brandished their
swords over each other's heads, some of the little boys and
girls rolled their eyes in astonishment, as though they ex-
pected to see torrents of blood flowing upon the floor; but
when the contestants sheathed their swords and became
reconciled to each other the little folks resumed their usual
equanimity. At the close of the examining exercises the
minister exhorted the pupils to be very pious and perfect
in their character at all times and in all places (all of which
the aforesaid pupils found out sooner or later was easier
said than done, even by the minister himself) and when
they died they would go to Heaven. Some of the members
of the superintending committee also made short addresses
to the pupils of the school and told them how that, in the
morning of their lives they should be honest, never tell a
lie or deceive, never become angry or do anything wrong
in any particular, and it was suggested that in case they
complied with all these conditions, they would be
loved by everybody and given the highest and most honor-
able positions in the gift of the people.
When the visitors to the schools in the summer had re-
tired, some of the school mistresses were in the habit of
presenting their pupils with a certificate of good character
printed upon a small slip of paper, in the upper part of
which there was a rude wood cut representing two men
threshing grain with all their might on a barn floor. In the
foreground of the picture, the figure of three or four hens
and roosters were represented. The following is a copy of
the certificate referred to:
Reward of Merit.
This certifies that John Smith, for diligence and good be-
havior, merits the approbation of his friends and instructor.
Lucinda Dolloff, Instructor.
Candia, August 30th, 1827.
28
434 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
OLD HOUSES.
The most of the first framed houses of the town which
were built l»y the early settlers have been demolished and
those of a larger and better sort have been erected in their
places. Among the oldest houses of this date some of
which have been repaired and improved are the following:
That on High Street now owned by George Wallace, built
by Caleb Brown, about the year 1777 ; the residence of
Mrs. Abraham Fitts, on the same street, which was built
in 1788; that now owned by Samuel R. Robie, which was
built on High Street by his great grandfather, Ichabod
Robie; that at the upper end of High Street, which was built
b)^ Moses Bursiel and is now owned by Mr. Tufts; that
on the same street next west of the residence of Samuel
Morrill, built by William Hill, son of Jonathan Hill, and
for many years owned and occupied by Samuel Morrill,
Esq., the grandfather of the present Samuel Morrill. On
the Burpee road the old John Lane mansion, which stands
next west of the residence of Frank D. Rowe. The house
on North Road next the cross road leading from High Street
to Deerfield, which was built in 1803, by Abraham Fitts, Jr.,
the old Benjamin Hall house on North Road, now owned
by Dana Hall ; the old Ensign John Clay house on the New
Boston road, now owned by Mrs. Stickney, his grandaugh-
ter ; the old Benjamin Bean house on the Colcord road near
the village, which was built by Jeremiah Bean, one of the
fiFst settlers in the town ; the Dea. Abraham Bean house at
the Island ; the house near the corner built by John Sargent,
an uncle of Captain John Sargent, and recently owned by
B. Pillsbury Colby. The house at the corner now owned
by Mr. Seward, which was built by Samuel Mooers, the first
town clerk, about the year 1758 ; the old two-story house
on the Patten road, which was erected by Capt. Moses
Baker, about the year 1772, the old Robert Patten house on
Wadleigh or Clark hill, now owned by George F. Patten ;
the old John Dolber house on the Chester road, now owned
by Mrs. Thomas Colby ; the old Benjamin Smith house on
the Raymond road below the Corner; the Amos Knowles
house on South Road, now owned by Charles Pettengill and
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 435'
the old Ezekiel Knowles house on the same road, now
owned by William Crane. Also the old Knowles house on
the Colby road, now owned by. George F. Cass.
A QUARTETTE OF LAMBS,
About the year 1850, a sheep belonging to William
Brown, who lived on North Road, had four lambs at one
birth. The sheep not being able to furnish nourishment
for more than two lambs, its owner, Mr. Brown, gave
one of them to Susan Lang, daughter of John Lang, and
the other to Mercy Clark, wife of Robert Clark. Tne lamb
given to Mrs. Clark grew up finely and the next year pro-
duced a pair of twin lambs and so on for eight successive
years, producing a pair of twin lambs annually, sixteen
in all.
THE FIVE STAGES OF FARMING.
In referring to the fact that a very large number of farms
in New Hampshire have become run out and of little value
for the raising of crops, some person of a philosophic turn
of mind has said that there have been five stages of farming
in New Hampshire during the past one hundred and twenty
years. First the owner cleared up his lot of land, next he
improved it, then he got a good living upon it, next he
skinned it and lastly he deserted it.
THE LOST STEERS.
•
Andrew Moore, who lived about half a mile below the
Corner, and Jonathan Worthen, who resided on New Bos-
ton road, were great wags and neither was ever happier
than when he could play a hard joke upon the other. One
winter they went to market together to Newburyport. The
sledding was go@d and each man drove a large ox team,
that of Andrew having a pair of two-year-old steers on the
lead. Andrew's team drew a load of charcoal which was
enclosed in a large box made of rough boards about eight
feet long, five feet wide and six feet high. In the after end
436 HISTORY OF CANDIA. -
of the box, there was a swinging door. Worthen's team
hauled a load of fish barrels.
After disposing of their barrels and charcoal, the two
teamsters started for their homes in Candia. Andrew's
team which was ahead arrived at a tavern in Kingston a
few minutes in advance of that of Worthen. After driving
his team into the yard near the tavern, Andrew went into
the bar room and called for a bowl of punch. While he
was sipping the beverage, Worthen came up and, taking in
the situation, he saw a grand chance for making a little fun
at Andrew Moore's expense, and so he unhitched his steers
from the team, drove them into the coal box on the sled
and closed the door. He then joined Andrew in the bar-
room and called for a mug of punch. The two men drank
their punch, then lighted their pipes and entered into a
lively conversation with the landlord. Nearly an hour
was consumed in this manner, when Worthen suddenly
jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh, Andrew! I forgot to tell
you when I came in that I saw that your steers had got
loose and were going away from the rest of the team to-
wards home." Andrew thereupon started for the yard and
was dismayed to find that his steers were missing. He
started off hurriedly towards Candia with his team and
called at every house, but found nobody who had seen
them. At length he reached home only to find that they
were not there. He was greatly worried, and, without
stopping to put his oxen in the barn, he hitched his horse
to a sleigh and drove back towards Kingston to meet
Worthen in the hope that he had obtained some information
concerning his steers. Worthen could give him no comfort
except to assure him that he believed that the steers were
somewhere about his home and that everything would come
out all right. Andrew finally concluded that it was no use
to make any further search at that time and he returned
home with a heavy heart. Worthen, who had a mile fur-
ther to go, very generously offered to stop a spell and help
his friend Andrew in making a critical search for his steers,
but no steers could be found anywhere about the premises.
At length Andrew happened to think of a roll of cloth he
had bought at Newburyport for a neighbor and placed in
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 437
the empty coal box. Upon opening the door what was
his surprise to find his steers lying within, chewing their
cuds in perfect contentment. At first he shed tears of joy,
and then, when he fully realized the cruel trick Worthen
had played on him, he shook his fists in his face and threat-
ened to give him a thrashing on the spot. The next mo-
ment, however, he laughed at the wit and cunning Worth-
en had displayed in the affair; but he gave him warning
that he would pay nim back sometime for the trouble he
had caused him with compound interest.
ANECDOTES.
Jonathan Cass, for some reason often called "Tot" Cass,
was a very eccentric character, and much given to crack-
ing severe jokes upon people without regard to their po-
sition or dignity. It is said that about the beginning of the
present century, he made a friendly call upon Rev. Mr.
Remington, the Congregational minister at that time, when
"Tot"' inquired as to whether the minister believed the por-
tion of the Mosaic law which required the people to pre-
sent to the priests a part of the first fruits of the season was
binding upon Christian?. Mr. Remington replied by saying
that, though the law was not positively binding under the
new dispensation, he thought it would be very proper for
Christian people to show their respe:t for religion by pre-
senting their ministers with some of the first products of
the soil in the spring- of the year. "So do I," said Tot with
a triumphant air, "and the very first thing which grows in
the spring is Indian poke. It would kill every darned one
of 'em." "Tot" attended the services at the ordination of
Rev. Mr. Arnold over the Congregational Society at Ches-
ter, in 1 8 1 9. Upon his arrival at the place, he took great
pains in making the acquaintance ot some of the promi-
nent menbers of the church of the town in the hope of re-
ceiving an invitation to dinner with one of them. He
talked very piously and earnestly about his deep interest
in the subject of religion in general and the welfare of
the brethren in Chester in particular. At last, he received
a cordial invitation from a wealthy deacon of the church in
438 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the town to dine at his residence at the close of the ordina-
tion exercises. "Tot," who played the role of a very pious
and devout believer to perfection, was given the place of
honor at the table by the side of the deacon, who invoked
the Divine blessing when all were seated. An ordination
dinner those days was a very important affair, and that to
which "Tot" was invited was more than ordinarily sumpt-
uous, "Tot" stuffed himself full of the roast beef, turkey,
plum pudding and other good things upon the table, not
forgetting to take a liberal share of the brandy, West India
rum and Maderia wine which was always provided on
such occasions in those days. At the close of the feast,
the good deacon in a very solemn and dignified manner,
addressing "Tot," said: "Mr. Cass, we shall be much
pleased to join you in returning thanks to the Giver of all
Good." "Tot," who had got his dinner stored away under
his waistcoat and there was no longer any reason for
keeping up a show of piety, straightened himself up in his
chair and replied to the deacon by saying: "Well, deacon,
I never do sich a thing myself and I don't think it amounts
to much nuther; but I've got a brother over in Candia who is
a deacon who can speak to a pudd'n' as well as any man
you ever heard in your life." If a bombshell had exploded
upon the table, the deacon and his guests could not have
been more astonished and shocked. Before they had time
to recover their composure, "Tot" took his departure, in-
wardly chuckling in view of the tumult he had raised.
Samuel Anderson was a very eccentric as well as a very
active, sensible and worthy man. In 1804, when the
Chester turnpike was about to be built, he was very en-
thusiastic in his praises of the great enterprise. "Why" said
he, "upon one occasion, "the road will be one of the best
that was ever constructed. It will be almost in a straight
line from Concord to Haverhill and all the way down hill.
People can haul very heavy loads upon it with a small
team." How will it be when the country teams are haul-
ing their goods from Boston and Haverhill to Concord,"
said a bystander, ' 'Well, really in fact, it will be pretty
much the same," replied Mr. Anderson.
Mr. Anderson, in his early career as a landlord, visited
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 439
Haverhill, Mass. Uponhis return he had a good deal to say
about a splendid residence, which was owned by a very
wealthy citizen of that place. On a certain occasion he
concluded a detailed description of the fine residence some-
what as follows : "Speaking metaphorically and after the
manner of men, I can say that I suppose you may search
the records of architecture through and through and you
will find that Solomon's temple and the pyramids of Egypt
are no touch at all to it." His pronounciation of the word
"pyramid" as though it were spelled pi-ram-ids was quite
ludicrous as well as original.
At a certain town meeting there was an article in the war-
rant to lay out and build a new road ; Mr. Anderson, who
was opposed to immediate action upon the matter, conclud-
ed a speech as follows : "Mr. Moderator, I move you sir
that a committee of three citizens be appointed to take the
matter into consideration and ramshack the business from
end to end."
The late Benjamin Cass lived for several years upon a
place in Roxbury, Mass., directly opposite to the residence
of Theodore Parker. He was educated as a strict Calvin-
ist and sincerely believed in orthodox doctrines. At that
time Mr. Parker severely criticised some of the features of
the Orthodox creed on account of which he was denounced
by the evangelical ministers all over the land. Mr. Parker
always spoke of Mr. Cass as a very amiable and upright
man. Mr. Cass, while he resided in Roxbury, tenaciously
adhered to the religious theories in which he had been ed-
ucated, but there was no bounds to his admiration for Mr.
Parker. In speaking of him at the time of his residence in
Roxbury, he said, he was the best man he ever saw and
came the nearest to being a true Christian in his character
and conduct, but, said he, "in spite of all that I suppose he
will be eternally lost on account of his want of faith in the
plan of salvation."
Mr. Cass returned to Candia more than thirty years ago
and became a very devoted Spiritualist and before he died
his views concerning the future destiny of Mr. Parker
became greatly changed and he thought he was entitled to
one of the highest seats in the kingdom of heaven.
440 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
All of the young men belonging to Candia, who have
graduated at college, have pursued their preparatory-
studies at some of the best and most popular academies in
the state; and a very large number of young men and wo-
men, who wished to obtain a good English education only
have been trained either at Pembroke, Hopkinton, Exeter,
Deny, Meriden, New London or Reed's Ferry in Merri-
mack. During a long term of years, by far the largest
number of Candia students were educated at Pembroke
academy. A complete list of their names would be a long
one and consequently a few only can be mentioned here.
It is probable that previous to 1820 a very few persons only
attended any academy. Among the earliest of those who
were educated at such institutions were David and J. Eaton
Pillsbury, Moses H. Fitts, Jacob H. Quimby, Frederick
Parker, Ephraim Eaton and Richard E. Lane. Nearly all
of them were students at Pembroke academy. Daniel Fitts,
Jr., attended the academy at Bradford, Mass., several terms
previous to 1820.
About the year 1840, Mr. Kinsman, who had been the
Preceptor of Pembroke academy several years, was dis-
charged by a majority of the board of trustees to make
room for another gentleman who was a near relative of one
of the most influential friends of the institution. Mr. Kins-
man was almost universally esteemed by the citizens of
Pembroke as a most excellent teacher and an honorable,
courteous gentleman. When he was deposed, many of his
warmest friends erected a new academy in the town and
installed him preceptor. This new institution, which was
called the Gymnasium, greatly flourished for about fifteen
years. Rev. Mr. Burnham, who was pastor of the Con-
gregational society in the place, was for many years in the
habit of invoking a blessing on the academy in his morn-
ing prayer at the church on Sunday; but when the Gymna-
sium was established, he was very particular in stating
just where he desired the Divine favor should be bestowed.
It is said that one Sunday, while referring in his prayer to
the educational interests of the town, he said "We beseech
Thee, O Lord! to bless the academy in this place, the old
academy, Lord. And we especially beseech Thee, O Lord!
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 441
to bless all the teachers of that academy and enable them
to discharge their duties in a faithful and acceptable man-
ner."
Forty years ago a very active Whig politician of the town
let a small old house which stood on his farm a few rods
from his spacious residence to a man who usually voted
with the Democrats. The cellar of the house in which the
tenant lived was unfit for keeping vegetables from freezing.
The tenant one year raised a good crop of potatoes and he
was obliged to ask the owner of the place to give him the
privilege of storing his crop in the excellent cellar under
his dwelling house. The landlord said he would accommo-
date his tenant if he would promise to vote the Whig ticket
at the next election. The tenant promised, and at the town
meeting which ensued the Whjg saw his tenant at the polls.
The latter had the Democratic vote in his hand and was
about to deposit it in the ballot box, when his excited land-
lord reminded him of his promise and said: "If you vote
that ticket you. must take your potatoes out of my cellar
immediately." In reply the tenant valiantly exclaimed:
"You may go to the devil with your old cellar, I shall vote
this ticket taters or no taters, " and, suiting the action to the
word, he handed the ticket to the moderator of the meet-
ing.
Ephraim K. Eaton, when he was a boy about fourteen
years of age, played a funny joke upon Joseph Carr who
lived near the Congregational meeting house. Mr. Carr
had been much troubled by squirrels, which made ravages
upon a field of corn situated on his farm near the school
house in old District No 2 and nearly opposite to a frog
pond in Peter Eaton's pasture. To rid himself of the pests,
Mr. Carr set a well-baited box trap upon a wall near his
field of corn. In the course of a few hours, he discovered
that the trap was sprung, and he had no doubt that a squir-
rel had been captured. In order to secure his prize, he car-
ried the trap and contents to his house and then# called in
some of his neighbors. Ephriam Eaton among the rest,
to see the squirrel properly disposed of. The trap was taken
to one of the rooms and set down upon the floor. A big
torn cat was then placed at the end of the trap opposite to
442 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
the bait for the purpose of seizing the squirrel when the lid
was opened. When everything was ready, Mr. Carr care-
fully opened the trap, when out jumped a huge bull frog to
the great amazement of Mr. Carr and others who had been
invited to attend the exhibition. Mr. Carr, who knew that
nobody but Ephraim could have played such a cunning
trick, was quite angry and desired that his father should
give him a sound thrashing as a proper punishment for his
presumption. But Mr. Eaton was so much amused at the
ingenuity displayed by his son in the affair that he could
not think of yielding to the solicitation.
About the year 1838, Moses, Aaron and Benjamin Cass,
citizens of Candia, and sons of Capt. Benjamin Cass, one
of the first settlers of the town removed to Roxbury, Mass.,
and settled in that part of the town where Theodore Parker,
the famous Unitarian preacher resided. All three of them
were members of the Congregational church in Candia.
Moses Cass bought a tract of land situated upon one side
of that owned by Mr. Parker, and Aaron bought a small
farm next to Mr. Parker's on the other side. A brook
flowed from Moses' farm across Mr. Parker's to that belong-
ing to Aaron Cass. At one time, Aaron and Moses got into
a serious dispute about some business affairs. At length
Moses became so irritated with Aaron that he put a dam
across the brook to annoy him, and, in doing so, discom-
moded Mr. Parker. In this state of affairs, instead of deal-
ing directly with his brother, Aaron asked Mr. Parker to
prosecute him and punish him for damming up the brook.
Mr. Parker plainly told him he would do no such thing and
reminded him that it did not become him as a professed
follower of Christ and a member of a church to bring his
brother before the courts. He then kindly advised him to
deal righteously with Moses and forgive his tresspasses.
Through the influence of Mr. Parker, the brothers soon after-
wards became reconciled to each other.
CAMP MEETINGS.
In 1830, a four day's camp-meeting was held in a grove
at Allenstown. Many of the people of Candia were pres-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 443
ent. In 1 841, the Methodists of West Chester (now Au-
burn) and other towns in the vicinity held a camp-meeting
in a grove near John Clark's tavern. A large number of
tents were erected on the grounds. Rev. Abraham Merrill
and other distinguished Methodist ministers preached on
the occasion. Under the influence of the passionate ap-
peals made by the preachers and exhorters, many persons
were greatly excited and a few swooned and became in-
sensible. It was said that a large number of persons be-
lieved they were converted on the occasion. A large num-
ber of the people of Candia were present at the meetings.
Two or three years later another camp-meeting was held
in the same grove.
LAKE MASSABESIC
Although no part of Lake Massabesic is situated within
the present limits of Candia, the people of the town were
joint proprietors of that beautiful sheet of water, with those
of Chester, Manchester, Hooksett and Raymond, prior to
1 763, when Candia became an independent township.
The lake is only about a mile and a half distant from the
southwest part of the boundary line between Candia and
Auburn, and the stream which flows from Candia through
Tower Hill pond furnishes its chief supply of water. Under
these circumstances the people of our town feel that they
have a sort of hereditary right to the enjoyment of its
majestic beauty and to take some degree of pride in the
glory it confers upon the territory of Old Chester, in which
it is situated. From "the Hill" in Candia, where the Con-
gregational meeting house is situated, and from Tower
Hill, the people have the most charming views of the lake
and many of the young and middle-aged men ot the town
during the past century, have fished in its waters and
brought home big strings of pickerel, perch, trout and
other varieties of fish.
Lake Massabesic consists of two bays united by a nar-
row strait called Deer Neck, contains nearly 2400 acres
and is situated in Manchester and Auburn, the lower, or
southern bay being in Manchester and the upper, or north-
444 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
ern bay, being in Auburn. The lake has a circumference
of twenty miles on its shore line. The water which is
remarkably pure, has supplied the city of Manchester since
the water works were completed, in 1874.
The lake has become a very popular resort in summer
within a few years and the lands adjacent are dotted over
with many fine cottages belonging to the people of Man-
chester and three or four steamboats ply between various
points upon the shore. Mine Hill, an eminence about four
hundred feet in height, is situated near the east shore of
the northern bay of the lake in plain view of the people of
Candia. It consists of a great mass of granite rock which
by some convulsion long ago was split asunder, the two
sections near the top being a dozen feet or more apart and
at the bottom from a foot and a half to four feet; the two
great, high walls are generally covered with moisture.
With a torch or lantern a person can penetrate through the
great, dark, damp fissure to a distance of about sixty feet
without difficulty. It may be mentioned here that Mr. S.
S. Griffin of Auburn Village has made a valuable collection
of Indian relics which was found in the vicinity, consisting
of stone gouges, axes, hoes, pestles, sling shots, chisels,
arrow and spear heads, gavels, etc. He has also a calumet
or pipe of peace, which was sometimes smoked by the In-
dians in token of their friendship for one another. This
calumet consists of an iron hatchet or tomahawk, with a
round aperture for the handle, on the top of which is a
small iron cup or bowl for the tobacco to be smoked; near
the bottom of the bowl is an aperture for the pipe stem,
which extended outwards under the handle. The iron
hatchet was probably made in England or France more
than two hundred years ago and sold to some of their In-
dian allies. The instrument was found in Candia on the
farm now owned by Augustine Buswell. Mr. Griffin has
also a good collection of woolen and linen wheels, looms,
plows, axes and many other agricultural implements which
were in use a hundred years ago and a considerable num-
ber of old flint lock muskets and powder horns, which were
in use in Revolutionary times.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 445
WELLS.
Many of the early settlers obtained their supply of water
from the nearest spring- or brook. The first wells, some of
which were very deep, were furnished with the old- fash-
ioned well sweep and pole, to one end of which "the old
oaken bucket'' was attached by a rope or chain. A very
few of these old devices for drawing water may still be
seen in various sections of the town. The windlass and
chain with a large box filled with small boulders to
balance the bucket was next introduced. Forty years ago
the revolving chain pump came into use to some extent.
These were followed by substantial suction pumps. In
some of the residences water is conveyed direct to the
kitchen by aqueducts.
THE INVENTORY.
The following is a statement of the valuation of-the town
as shown by the invoice taken by the Selectmen, April i,
1891 .
300 polls, $ 30,000
Resident real estate, 249,208
Non-resident real estate, 27,.}47
254 horses 15,042-
73 <>xen' ■ 2.557
465 cows, 7,468
171 neat stock, 2,433
41 sheep, 120
5 hogs, 20
1 1 carriages, 550
Stock in banks, 200
M01 ey on hand, 2>925
Stock in trade, 6,6co
Mills and machinery, 650
Stock in public funds, 500
$345,620 .
94 dogs.
The rate was $1.46 on a hundred dollars ot valuation
446 HISTORY OE CANDIA. .
FASHIONS.
At the beginning of the present century, the every day
clothing of the people made of linen or wool was spun and
woven by the women of the household. For Sunday wear,
many of the men wore woolen or velvet coats with long
broad skirts and large buttons, knee breeches and long
stockings. The breeches were fastened at the knee with
silver or silver plated buckles. The vests, which were sin-
gle breasted, were quite long. Sometimes they were of a
white or buff color. Many wore linen collars and plain
black cravats. Between the years 1818 and 1830 many
men in good circumstances wore high crown, black or
white bell top beaver hats, the extreme tops of which were
much wider than at the rim. The best of these typical Yan-
kee or Brother Jonathan hats cost about six dollars. When
the fashion suddenly changed, William Duncan, the trader,
had fifty or seventy-five left on his hands. In 1830, the
crown of fashionable hats was as much narrower at the top
or crown as the bell top hat was wider and made a very
marked change in the appearance of the wearer. From
1820 to 1835 swallow tail, or dress coats with large gold-
gilt brass buttons were the prevailing fashion with young
and middle aged men. This coat was worn with a white
or buff vest and dark pantaloons. For many years a blue
coat, buff vest and dark pantaloons was the favorite style
of dress of Daniel Webster. He was dressed in this style
when he made his famous speech in the U. S. Senate in re-
ply to Hayne.
It was only a minority of the men in the town who
deemed themselves able to dress in fine broadcloth. Others
were content to wear homespun cloth fulled and dressed at
the clothiers. When Win, H. Duncan was a student at
Dartmouth College, he was by far, the best dressed man in
Candia. In 1836, dress coats were made of broadcloth of
various shades of color, such as bottle green, dark olive,
snuff or claret or wine color. At that time, black satin or
figured satin vests and frock coats came into fashion. Pre-
vious to 1830, many of the men wore thick drab-colored
overcoats with a girdle and buckle around the waist. The
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 447
overcoat sometimes had one cape and sometimes three or
four overlapping- each other.
In 1826, plaid woolen cloaks with capes were quite com-
mon. Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, wore a reddish plaid cloak and
Col. Samuel Cass appeared at church in a dark green and
blue plaid cloak. Two or three years later, camlet cloaks
of a dark brown color for men's wear became the fashion.
These cloaks had standing corded collars. The material for
this garment was mostly spun and woven by the women and
dressed by Freeman Parker, the clothier. The cloaks and
the dra'o overcoat-; with capes were furnished with large
gaudy brass gilded clasps with a small chain attached for
fastening the sides of the garment together at the neck. A
few citizens in good circumstances wore very fine dark
blue broadcloth cloaks of ample folds lined with highly
finished red flannel. Rev. Mr. Wheeler wore one of this
sort to church and often in very cold weather kept it on
throughout the service. For cravats a black silk or cotton
handkerchief was worn until about 1840, when stocks
made partly of hogs bristles woven with linen and covered
with black silk or cashmere became fashionable. Some-
times these stocks which were well fitted to the neck were
three inches or more in width. The standing dickies which
were worn with stocks often came close up to the ears.
The Kossuth or soft felt hat, which was one of the best
and most comfortable which was ever manufactured, was
introduced about the year 1853, when Kossuth, the famous
Hungarian patriot, visited the United States. He wore a
kind of hat which was called by his name. The stiff,
round top Derby hat became the fashion about the year
1865 and soon after that time the white, high crown cassi-
mere hat came into use for summer wear. Paper collars
closely resembling those made of linen came into general
use about the year 1870, but in 1892 but few of this sort
were worn.
Sixty years ago, the bottoms of the legs of gentlemen's
trowsers were fitted with leather or cloth straps which
passed under the soles of their boots to keep the garment
in place; that fashion was given up long ago. In early
times, the hair of men was cut in what was called pumpkin
44§ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
shape. At a later date the hair was shingled and some-
times the foretop was left longer than the rest of the hair
and brushed up into a point two or three inches above the
head.
During the past sixty years the style of men's dress has
been modified slightly from year to year, but not essen-
tially changed. The skirts of a dress coat is made three or
four inches shorter and then in a year or two it is length-
ened out again. The legs of pantaloons have been made
quite large and even baggy and in a few years afterwards
they are made to fit close to the skin, which is no great
advantage for displaying the beauty of a man with spindle
shanks and crooked legs.
In i860, some person discovered that a mixture of nitrate
of silver, lac sulphur and water when applied to the hair
would change it to a very dark color. Men and women
with gray or white locks who used the mixture all at once
assumed a very youthful appearance. It soon became ap-
parent that those persons who dyed their hair in this way
were considerably injured in their health. Very little of
the preparation is now used.
Previous to 1850, no man in the town wore a full beard.
Soon after that time a few young men appeared with side
whiskers. Side whiskers were followed by chin whiskers;
then mustaches became quite common. In a few years
the large majority of men appeared with more or less beard
and a few had full beards. Sometimes the fa 1 i beard was
suffered to grow to its full length, and in other cases it was
cut or trimmed occasionally. At the preseat time few gen-
tlemen wear full beards.
The fashions of women's apparel during the past hun-
dred years have changed much more frequently than those
of men. For many years their dresses were qnite short-
waisted. Sometimes the sleeves were short and close, and
at other times they were large and of full length. These
were called mutton leg sleeves. The best dresses were
made of imported worsted goods, such as thibet or cash-
mere. Nice dresses were also made of a kind of good*
called bombazine. A few of the women who were well off
had at least one silk dress. Near the beginning of the pres-
iit^Stiji* "*
Wt *%&■ m
M -Jtr
:.. . ■ . ■; ;
■ ■ .. ■ '
mmmm
- ■
:' * ' ■ ^fcy * ■■■- -
JACOB S. HOLT.
Sketch, page 515.
HISTORY OE CANDIA. 449
ent century, very wide hoop skirts were worn for a few
years. The dresses of most of the women of moderate
means were of home manufacture, until after the year 1826.
In the winter, muffs and tippets made of mink, muskrat or
cat skins were carried by many women to church. The
muffs for many years were five or six times larger than
those of modern dates. Soon after, cotton and woolen
manufacturing was introduced into the country on a large
scale, the dresses of women became much improved in
quality. In summer, calico, gingham and white lawn
dresses were worn by young women on Sundays and other
public occasions. When "President Jackson, with the mem-
bers of his cabinet, visited Lowell, Mass., on a bright June
day in 1 S33, two or three thousand female operatives em-
ployed in the mills at that place, including thirty-five or
forty who belonged in Candia, joined the great procession
which escorted him through the streets of the town. All of
these young women appeared in white lawn dresses with
blue, red or green silk belts and bright green parasols.
The old hero was highly pleased with the attentions of the
ladies.
About that time, many young women were foolish enough
to believe that a very slender waist was an essential ele-
ment of beauty, and so the habit, of tight lacing became
prevalent, and the health of many was ruined in conse-
quence.
Between 1810 and 1835, bonnets which were made of
straw, silk or worsted, were extremely high in the crown
and front. The Leghorn bonnets or hats made of imported
straw were quite costly. In 1828, the Naverino bonnet,
which was made of a kind of straw-colored pasteboard,
stamped in imitation of braided straw, came into fashion.
At the same time a peculiar sort of head gear called a
calash was worn by many women. It was made'of silk,
which was taken up into welts an inch or an inch and a
half apart into which pieces of rattan, shorter than the silk,
were inserted and brought round over the head in the shape
of a bonnet. This bonnet was finished with a narrow cape
at the neck. When it was worn the top was elevated two
or three inches above the head. This bonnet much re-
29
45° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
sembled the old-fashioned bellows-top chaise. A piece of
ribbon in the form of a sort of bridle was attached by its
two ends to the front edge of the bonnet, by which it could
be moved backward or forward over the head at pleasure.
In i860, hoop skirts again became fashionable. Then
skirts, which were at first of small size, were made of
whalebone or rattan. They were soon afterwards made of
steel and called watch-spring skirts. In the course of a few
years the hoops were made of great size. At length they
became gradually smaller and now but tew are worn.
About the year 1878, the bustle was first worn. This ap-
pendage which was small at first,, soon became larger and
larger, until at last some women seemed anxious to deform
themselves as much as possible. In 1892, the bustle went
out of fashion and women appeared once more in the shape
in which they were created.
Jewelry of some kind has been worn to some extent by
both sexes ever since the town was settled. A few men
have appeared with brooches, studs or pins of some kind
of various degrees of value; while the women have orna-
mented their ears, their necks and their fingers, as well as
their bosoms, with jewels of some sort. A hundred years
ago and later, elderly ladies in good circumstances wore a
string of gold beads. In many cases the beads were con-
veyed by will to a favorite daughter, sister or other relative
as a testimony of their regard. Fifty years ago young
women wore breast pins made of various kinds of precious
stones. Sometimes they wore very large cameo pins upon
which were cut heads and figures of various kinds. At one
time the ear rings were furnished with long ear drops.
Forty years ago a married woman by the name of
Bloomer of New York state introduced a new fashion for
ladies, apparrel, consisting of a dress like a frock extend-
ing three or four inches below the knee and was worn with
clothing for the lower extremities resembling gentlemen's
pantaloons. It was argued by those who favored this style
of dress that it was far more comfortable and convenient
than long dresses and heavy skirts. This style which was
named after the inventor and was adopted in some quarters,
went out of fashion in a year or two.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 4 5 I
AMUSEMENTS.
Seventy years ago the young people of Candia, in com-
mon with those of other towns, had but few amusements
as compared with those of the present age. The most of
the boys and girls were employed at an early age in use-
ful labor upon the farm, and were allowed but little time
to amuse themselves, except in the winter during the re-
cesses at school. In those days there were no very artistic
.and costly dolls, closely resembling the form and features
of living beings, in beautiful dresses, and the little girls
had to content themselves with rag babies with heads
stuffed with cotton or rye bran, with a few rude, black
marks upon one side to indicate the face, the eyes, nose
and mouth. Neither were there miniature sets of crock-
ery, including kettles, plates, tea pots, knives and forks, so
that they could give a tea party to their little friends.
None of the little boys at that period were furnished with
nicely painted wagons, carts, railroad locomotives and
cars, rocking horses, balloons, block-houses and thou-
sands of other representations of objects of art and nature.
The boys of olden times had to make their own playthings
and many of them had ingenuity enough to saw out of a
piece of board a pair of wheels, or trucks^as they were called,
and to make a respectable whistle out of a section of a
willow sapling or a branch of elder, while others could
make a cross stock or a bow and arrow w ith which they
could hit a robin or striped squirrel. There were a few
others. who could whittle out a little water wheel and set
it in rapid motion below a fall in a brook. In 1822, T.
Wilson Lane, a son of Thomas B. Lane, the blacksmith,
who lived on the place the second south of the Congrega-
tional meeting house, made a miniature saw mill complete
and set it in operation upon a brook in that vicinity.
Pieces of boards four or five feet long were sawed into
sections or thin strips to the entire satisfaction of the young
mechanic, who afterward achieved considerable reputation
as an inventor.
In 1824, the late George Gilbert of Auburn, who then
lived in the Ordway house on the site of the present house
452 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
on the south side of High Street above the Congregational
meeting-house, made and sent up a very large paper kite.
Mr Gilbert kept the kite floating four or five hundred feet
high in the air for hours at a time on pleasant clays. It
was fastened by the line to his dwelling house and was
so large that it could be seen at points three or four miles
distant. After that date, many were the boys in the town
who made nice kites of their own, and were greatly de-
lighted to watch them as they waved backward and for-
ward or upwards and downwards in the atmosphere.
The sports of the boys at school consisted partly in play-
ing ball, "I Spy," Foot racing, "Winding tobacco." "Break-
ing out," "Snapping the whip," snow balling or rolling
great masses of snow into a huge ball upon which were
placed other snow balls of lesser magnitude. Also in
sliding or skating upon the ice of a pond if one was within
a short distance of the school house. Sliding down a long
hill upon single handsleds or upon two sleds connected
together by a board six or seven feet long, upon a bright
frosty moonlight night was a favorite pastime with many
boys and girls.
Among the sports of the boys were fishing in the
large streams and brooks, snaring partridges and shooting
grey squirrels and other game. In the fall many of the
boys and girls delighted to wander in the woods and
pastures in search of chestnuts, walnuts and butternuts,
then called oilnuts. When they were getting chestnuts
under a clump of great trees, it often happened that three
or four grey squirrels high up in the branches would gnaw
off a large quantity of the prickly burrs out of which the
boys and girls picked the chestnuts without thanking
the poor squirrels for their pains. Sometimes, on a bright
October day. the seekers for nuts were amazed at the sight
of thousands of crows many of which had evidently come
from points a dozen miles distant and gathered upon th e
top and sides of a great hill. On such occasions it seemed
from their movements that they were holding a grand
mass meeting to devise ways and means for promoting
their mutual welfare. It was not a great stretch of fancy
to suppose that three or four patriotic old crows addressed
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 4 53
the great multitude assembled, one after another, and that
all of the speakers were greeted with loud cheers, such as
crows only know how to give. These annual conventions
were generally in session more than an hour, when they
rose simultaneously into the air, bade each other adieu
and returned to their several homes.
In the fall and winter, the young people sometimes met
each other at the home of some one, when the old folks
were absent, and played "Blind-man's buff" "Hunt the
slipper," "Dropping the handkerchief." "Button," "Rolling
the plate." "Hiding the thimble," and various other ring
plays. The forfeits, which were paid by the losers in the
games, such as "Going to Rome," making "Double and twist-
ed Lordy Massy s," making a "Sled," etc., were always con-
sidered the most interesting parts of the plays.
Playing-cards was a kind of amusement which was in-
dulged in by a few persons seventy ye^rs ago. The word
cards was pronounced by giving the letter "a," the short
sound as in fat. Seventy or eighty years ago, for some rea-
son, playing a game of cards was thought to be very sin-
ful by those who regarded themselves as very pious, while
the game of ' Fox and geese," was played without rebuke
from anybody.
SEWING CIRCLES.
About forty years ago some of the women belonging to
the two religious societies in town, formed organizations
called "Sewing circles" for promoting the welfare of their
several churches. Soon afterward, it became the custom
of the circle to give evening entertainments in the vestry of
their church buildings, at stated periods, consisting of a
nice supper, songs, recitations, instrumental music and
other well ordered amusements to which all respectable
people in the town, of all creeds, and all organizations of
every name and nature, or of no creed or organization at
all, were invited without pass words or other conditions
except that they would aid in paying the necessary ex-
penses. At first this custom was regarded by some very
f astidious people as a dangerous innovation, and even a
454 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
march around the vestry to the sound of music was thought
to be immoral as well as irreligious. But so far as heard
from no person has been much damaged in character by
joining in festivities such as these. Well instructed people
now perceive that the frequent assembling of the people in
a manner so that they can meet each other in close friendly
intercourse without pass words or unnecssary ceremonies
of any kind, tends to overcome the spirit of exclusive-
ness and clannishness which is much too prevalent as well.
as to allay all personal jealousies and animosities.
TEA PARTIES, ETC.
In the summer time many of the women in the several
neighborhoods of the town were in the habit of giving tea
parties. On these occasions the best set of crockery, and
the whitest table cloth were brought out. The good strong
cups of young hyson tea were sweetened with lumps of
loaf sugar, which was thought to be a great luxury in those
days and the table was supplied with "drop cakes,'' pound
cake, cup custards and other niceties.
Ninety or a hundred years ago it was no uncommon'
thing for a thrifty farmer to hitch a yoke of oxen to a sled
and take his family of children three or four miles through
the snow to visit some of their relatives or friends.
THE MOWING MACHINE AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
The mowing machine first came into use to some extent
in Candia and vicinity in 1854. The common sewing
machine was also introduced about |that time. The silos,,
or the process of preserving corn fodder in a green or fer-
mented state, came into use in Candia about the year 1880.
SHOWS.
In 1818, an elephant was exhibited near Master Moses:
Fitts' store. 1111831, a menagerie containing a good col-
lection of wild animals was exhibited at the Corner, With-
in the past forty years, a variety of exhibitions and enter-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 455
tainments have been given in the town, many of which
were of a high order of merit. Between the years i860 and
1881, public exhibitions were- given in the vestry of the
Methodist Church, Since the latter date, the most of the
entertainments appear to have been given in Moore's opera
house.
THE POTATO ROT, COLORADO BUGS, ETC.
The farmers of the town were first troubled by the potato
rot about the year 1853. Since that date there have been
several seasons when the rot has reappeared, In 1890, the
farmers in New Hampshire lost more than half their crop,
and potatoes sold for $1.25 a bushel at retail in many
places. The Colorado beetle, or potato bug, first appeared
in New England about the year 1872. In the course of a
year or two after that date, the pests arrived in Candia and
from that time to this the potato crop has been more or less
damaged by this cause.
OTHER ANECDOTES.
Many years ago it was no very extraordinary circum-
stance for an irresolute schoolmaster to be turned out of
the school house by a set of rude and uncivilized pupils.
A story used to be told in Candia of a district school in a
town not many miles distant, where some excellent teachers
had been thrust out of doors by several of the largest pupils
and it was found to be a difficult matter to find a man who
had the courage to take their place. At length a stout, reso-
lute looking man, a stranger who had just arrived at the
tavern in the place, was told of the condition of affairs.
After being strongly urged he consented to take charge of
the school. The very next morning he commenced, and
opened the school with what appeared to be a fervent
praver for strength to perform his duties. He made a few
remarks upon the necessity of preserving perfect order.
He then took from his pocket a stout rawhide and a pair of
double barreled cavalry pistols, and laid them carefully
upon the desk. He then locked the door and called
456 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
up all the young men and large boys one by one and gave
each a most unmerciful thrashing. He then returned the
pistols to his pocket, gave some wholesome advice to his
pupils who were smarting trom the punishment they had re-
ceived and said he was about to leave the school room
for a few moments. He then passed rapidly to the tavern
close by and calling for his horse and carriage, drove off
and was never seen in the town afterwards. It was shrewd
ly suspected by some of the people that one or two of the
dethroned schoolmasters had something to do with plan-
ning the affair.
CLIMBING THE LIGHTNING ROD.
In 18*28, while extensive repairs were being made upon
the Congregational meeting house, Dudley N. Lang and
Nathaniel W. Moore climbed up the steeple and up the
spire a few feet above the dome of the belfry, by the light-'
ning rod which was fastened to the wood work of the
steeple by iron spikes. It was a very hazardous undertak-
ing, but both of the boys who were then about eighteen
years of age, came down without suffering any harm.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE DEVIL.
In 1830, during the progress of a great religious revival,
Isaiah Stewart, a colord man who then lived in the family of
Mr Duncan, the trader, while passing up the Baker road
'one dark evening, met with a very strange experience ac-
cording to his statement at that time. He said that while
walking along in the road in a very tired condition, the
devil all at once appeared to him in full form, with a most
hideous countenance and with eyes of fire. He said he
tried to get rid of him by running, but the more he tried the
worse off he was, because in his efforts to get away from
the great enemy of mankind, he fell frequentlv, but he fin-
ally escaped by running into Mrs. Baker's house.
Isaiah's story was believed by most of the people, and
Rev. Mr. Weeeler referred to this wonderful event at a re-
vival meeting one Sunday evening at the Congregational
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 457
meeting- house as a solemn warning to unrepentant sinners.
It must be remembered that most Evangelical Christians,
then as now, believed that the devil was a real personal
being endowed with power to be anywhere and every-
where at the same moment, like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. Some men who lived close by
Isaiah and knew his habits, said he had been on a spree
when he thought he had seen the devil and was affected
with delirium tremens. When Isaiah left off drinking rum
he was no more troubled by personal devils of any sort,
real or imaginary.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
9
The constitution of the state of New Hampshire was
framed and adopted in 1784. In 1792, the Constitution was
revised by a convention of delegates and various amend-
ments were adopted. The Constitution thus amended was
the fundamental laws of the land for nearly sixty years.
In 1850, various amendments were made by a convention
of delegates among which, was one abolishing the law re-
quiring that certain state officers should be possessed of a
specified amount of income annually and another abolish
ing the law providing that certain State officers should be
believers in the Protestant religion. The former amend-
ment was ratified by the people but the latter was rejected.
Jonathan Martin was a delegate to this convention.
In 1876, the Constitution was amended by a convention of
delegates by abolishing the religious test and by providing
that the Governor and the members of his Council, mem-
bers of the Senate and House of Representatives should hold
their offices two years and that the Senate should consist of
twenty four members. These and other amendments were
ratified by the people, Plumer W. Sanborn of Candia was
a delegate to this convention. At a Convention of dele-
gates in 1889, various amendments were made to the Con-
stitution, among which was one changing the time for in-
augurating the Governor and the commencement of the
regular sessions of the legislature. Jonathan C.
Hobbs of Candia was chosen a delegate to this convention.
45§ HISTORY OF CANDIA.
POLITICAL PARTIES.
For many years after the National Government was es-
tablished, a majority of the citizens of Candia acted with
the Federal party. In 1824, when John Quincy Adams
was elected President, the Federalists called themselves
National Republicans and the Democrats were called Dem-
ocratic Republicans. A majority of the voters of the town
supported Mr. Adams against Andrew Jackson in 1824 and
also in 1828. In 1831, the Democrats of the town came
into power and held that position until 1845. In 1834, the
Federalists, or National Republicans again changed their
name and were called Whigs. In 1854, the American par-
ty was organized. It was a secret organization and was
sometimes called the Know Nothing party. Its members
professed to be opposed to Catholicism and maintained that
foreigners should not be allowed to vote until they had re-
sided in the country twenty years. It was also pretended
that the Catholic religion was in conflict with republican
institutions. The members of the party in Candia held
their secret meetings in the upper part of the store at the
Corner which is now occupied by the Free Masons. In
1855, that party had a majority of votes. The Know Noth-
ing party had an existence in the country of only one year
and, in 1856, all the opponents of the Democratic party in
the Northern States united and formed a new political or-
ganization called the Republican party. The Republicans
of Candia were in the majority in the town until 1868 when
the Democrats elected their candidates for office. Since
1868, the Democrats have been in the majority in the town
every year, except two or three.
PENSIONS TO SOLDIERS.
Soon after the close of the war of the Revolution, the dis-
abled soldiers of New Hampshire were provided with pen-
sions by an act of the legislature. In 1818, the U. S. Con-
gress passed an act giving pensions to disabled soldiers
throughout the Union. The surviving soldiers in Candia at
that time received comfortable pensions under that act.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 459
The last Revolutionary soldier in the United States who re-
ceived a pension was named Samuel Downing of New
York state. He died in 1867, aged 105 years. In 1 89 1,
nineteen widows of Revolutionary soldiers who were then
living, received pensions. About the year 1854, the U. S.
Congress passed an act giving each of the surviving sol-
diers who had served nine months, 160 acres of Govern-
ment land, eighty acres to those who had served four
months and forty acres to those who had served but one
month. Between forty and fifty of the soldiers trom Can-
dia, who fought in the war of 181 2, or their widows,
were living at the time the act was passed. The most of
these soldiers served in the defense of Portsmouth. Two
or three of their widows are still living. In 1856, John T.
Moore, Esq., of Manchester and his brother, Henry W.
Moore of Candia bought up the land warrants of the Can-
dia soldiers and those ot their widows. Two or three
widows of Candia men who served in the war of 181 2 still
survive. A very large number of the Candia soldiers who
served in the war of the rebellion or their widows have
been granted extremely liberal pensions.
AN AGED COLORED WOMAN.
Mrs. Flora Stewart, who lived several years in Candia
as a servant for William Duncan the trader, was born a
slave in Londonderry in the family of a man by the name
of Wilson. She took the name of Wilson from her owner
and lived in his family until her marriage with a colored
man named Stewart. She had two sons who also lived
with Mr. Duncan and worked upon his farm several years.
After leaving Candia, about the year 1835, Mrs. Stewart re-
turned to Londonderry where she resided until her death,
nearly twenty years ago. From the circumstance that she
was born on about the same day as that upon which a
child of her master's came into existence, it is known that
she lived to a very remarkable old age. Many of the peo-
ple of Londonderry and others who were well acquainted
with her history are confident that she was about 118 years
old when she died. A few years before she passed away
460 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
she was brought to Manchester by John D. Patterson of
that place and a photograph was taken of her form and
features.
It may be mentioned here that no person who reached
the age of one hundred years nas died in Candia so far as
car, be ascertained. The two oldest persons who have
died in town were Mrs. Timothy Bagley and Mr. Benjamin
Smith, Senior, who were each ninety-nine yearsof age.
AN IDIOT.
In 181 2, a son was born to Obededom Hall and wife
who lived on the cross road which leads from High Street
near the North Road. The child, who was named Obed,
grew up but never manifested the least intelligence. He
could walk but was unable to feed himself or masticate
solid food. It was necessary to feed him with a spoon.
During the greater portion of his life he had a habit of
swinging his arms and striking his fists heavily upon the
prominent bones of his cheeks doing himself much injury.
Under these circumstances, his arms were confined behind
his back during his waking hours. In this pitiable condi-
tion, he was a great affliction to his parents and other rela-
lives, but he was always tenderly cared for throughout the
whole period of his life. He died in 1869, aged 57 years.
CHAPTER XXX.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY CONCLUDED.
For some years atter Candia was settled it was gener-
ally believed that God created the illimitable universe con-
sisting- of many millions of worlds, the most of which are
many thousands of times larger than our earth, in six literal
days of twenty-four hours each and rested on the seventh
day, and that in commemoration of the event, he com-
manded the people of all nations to rest on Saturday the
seventh day. A body of Christians in the United States
of considerable numbers called Seventh Day Baptists keep
Saturday as the Sabbath and claim that there is no war-
rant in the Scriptures for keeping Sunday, the first day of
the week, instead of the seventh day. The people of Can-
dia, for many years regarded it as a great sin to engage in
any kind of recreation on Sunday or to neglect to attend
church services at the Congregational or Free Will Baptist
churches, except in stormy weather.
In 1829, Rev. Justin Edwards of Andover, Mass, pub-
lished a small volume entitled "The Proper Mode of Keep-
ing the Sabbath,'-' in which he endeavored to prove that
God often sends terrible judgements upon those who break
the Sabbath day and referred to various cases where per-
sons were drowned, thrown from carriages or struck dead
by lightning, heart disease or appoplexy. He also under-
took to prove that God often causes the ruin of Sabbath
breakers in their business enterprises, but he did not ex-
plain how it was that many others got rich in various cities
in America and Europe by carrying on their ordinary busi-
ness on Sundays, nor why pious ministers have often
dropped down dead in the pulpit while preaching orpraying.
Neither did he explain why it was that many pious church
members have been thrown from carriages and killed while
461
462 . HISTORY OF CANDIA. •
returning from church on Sunday. The volume was placed
in the library of the Sunday School connected with the
Congregational Society. Such books have not been publish-
ed of late years
Sixty or seventy years ago the sermons of the ministers
were quite lengthy and wrere divided into heads, some-
times to the number of "ninethly," "once more," "lastly,"
and "finally." During the intermission, if the weather was
pleasant, many persons visited the old cemetery, while
others, who came, from the various sections of the town,
talked with each other in the porches or shadows of the
meeting house. Sometimes the women and girls looked
over into the flower gardens of Mrs. Joseph Carr and Mrs.
Peter Eaton and admired the red and white roses, the
pinks, the hollyhocks, the pansies and prince's feathers.
Small groups of men gathered around the horse sheds and
talked of politics, the state of the crops and the news of the
day.
Sometimes a third service was held at a school house or
at the residence of a private citizen in an outlying district..
In the latter cases, seats were provided by placing in some
of the rooms long rough boards supported by sections of
small logs. When the logs were too far apart a board was
broken and half a dozen or more persons of both ssxes
found themselves sprawling upon the floor. Of course the
boys and girls laughed at the ludicrous condition of affairs;
but the damage was soon repaired and "order reigned in
Warsaw."
At the time referred to neighborhood prayer meetings
were held at private residences alternately. The exercises
consisted of exhortations, prayer and the singing of hymns
to the tunes of Arlington, Peterborough, St. Martin, Turner,
Exhortation, Mear, Dundee and others, etc. The hymn
beginning with the line, "The day is past and gone" sung
to a pleasing melody, was a great favorite sixty-five years
ago.
When an application for admission to the church was
favorably received for consideration, the applicant was
said to have been propounded. Once in two months, the
sacrament of the Lord's supper was celebrated at the Con-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 463
gregational meeting house. The members of the church
sat together in the body pews, while those who were not
members occupied the wall pews. Rev. Mr. Wheeler was
the minister from 1819 to 1833, and stood at the commu-
nion table below the pulpit and broke the bread and
poured the wine into the sacramental cups from the shin-
ing tankards, talked affectionately and impressively to
his brethren counseling them to be faithful to their solemn
vows, to lead pure and blameless lives before the world
and rejoice in the hope and promise that, when their trials
and sorrows on the earth were ended, they should be ad-
mitted to the realms of the blest in heaven, where sin and
suffering could never enter. How deeply solemn, rev-
erential and sincere were the countenances of Deacons
Langford, Shannon and Daniel Fitts, Jr., as they walked
softly and noiselessly through the aisles and passed to the
communicants the emblems of the love and sacrifice of
their dying Lord!
The most of the men and women who were members of
the Congregational, the Free Will Baptist and the Metho-
dist churches were faithful to the light which they had re-
ceived concerning their relations to Goc. and the future lite
and endured their trials and disappointments with patience
and becoming1 fortitude.
"Once thev were mourners here below,
And wet their couch with tears,
They wrestled hard as we do now,
With sighs and doubts and fears."
The records of the churches of the town show that, in
the course of many years, there were a few cases where
members failed to conduct themselves in a manner con-
sistent with their professions. Some were charged with
intemperance, some with profanity, some with falsehood
and some with unchaste conduct. The records also show
that the officers and members of the churches always man-
ifested a spirit of charity and forbearance towards their
erring brethren which was worthy of the highest admira-
tion of all good people. The offenders were only required
to confess their sins and promise to lead pure ami upright
lives in the future. When the transgressors refused to
464 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
comply with these conditions, they were ex-communicated
or rejected, as it was sometimes termed.
The ministers of the Congregational society often ex-
changed with those of the neighboring towns. During Mr.
Wheeler's ministry exchanges were made with Rev. Messrs.
Arnold and Clement of Chester, Wells of Deerfield, McFar-
land of Concord, Prentice of North wood (whose slow and
measured manner of speaking, solemn visage and deep,
sepulchral tone were noticable), Burnham of Pembroke (a
man of marked ability, who preached and prayed in an an-
imated and colloquial manner very pleasing to his audi-
ence), Farnsworth and Bailey of Raymond, Parker of Der-
ry, Harris of Dunbarton (often called "the broad ax" from
the sturdy manner in which he hewed arguments in defence
of Orthodoxy), Church of Pelham and Carpenter of Chiches-
ter. At a later date, exchanges were made with Rev. Mes-
srs. Day and Wellman of Derry, Coggswell of Northwood,
Thayer of Windham, Bouton of Concord, Wallace, Bartlett,
Tucker of Manchester. In 1877, Rev. Mr. Tucker preach-
ed one Sunday at the Congregational church. Among his
auditors was a committee of the Madison Square Presby-
terian Society of New York city, who came to Manchester
the evening before to hear him preach from his own pulpit
with the view of giving him a call to settle in New York if
he made a favorable impression upon them. On Sunday
morning they drove over to Candia and listened to his ser-
mon with much satisfaction. A few weeks later, Mr. Tuck-
er was settled as pastor of fhe Madison Square church, one
of the richest and most fashionable in New York.
Most of the Evangelical Christians have believed that
no person could be converted save by the special and mir-
aculous iufluence of the Holy Spirit and that when a per-
son was thus converted or regenerated he was perfectly
conscious of the wonderful change. Sometimes there were
cases when persons who had most anxiously desired to be
converted waited in vain for the mysterious change, but
were never consciously "born again, ' though they com-
plied with all the conditions laid down by their religious
teachers. Candidates for admission to the church were
critically examined on this point and closely questioned in
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
465
regard to the manner in which they were "turned from
darkness to light.'-'
Some very excellent persons, Who had been church mem-
bers many years, were often sorely troubled by grave
doubts as to whether they had been truly regenerated, and
were dreadfully afraid to die. Their doubts were well ex-
pressed in the following stanza of a hymn, whieh was of-
ten sung to a tune in the minor key at conferences and
prayer meetings :
Tis a point 1 long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought:
Do I love the Lord or no,
Am I His or am 1 not?
The late Samuel Fitts, who was one of the best and most
spiritually minded men in town, was often afflicted with the
fear that his name was not "written in the Lamb's book of,
life." His great humility prompted him to leave directions
that there should be no words of eulogy or praise spoken
at his funeral. This alone was the highest evidence that
he was a man of exalted character.
In 1873, the custom of holding an afternoon service at
the Congregational church was abolished. The Free Will
Baptists continued to hold afternoon services several years
longer.
It is well understood that at this time less than one-third
of the people of the town of a suitable age attend the ser-
vices at the churches on Sundays, whereas sixtylyears ago
nearly all of the people, except infants and invalids, were
in the habit of going to meeting. In accounting for the
changes in this respect it must be remembered that,*in re-
cent years, the religious opinions of the people havej|been
greatly modified by the teachings of Universalists, Unitari-
ans, Adventists and Spiritualists as well as by the printed
sermons of Henry Ward Beecher, Theodore Parker and the
essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Under these circumstan-
ces, it is not strange that a very ordinary or inexperienced
young clergyman cannot edify or instruct men and women
who have thought deeply on the subject of their relations to
God and the Universe, or to greatly interest people of much
intellectual ability.
3°
466 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
Sunday schools as they are now conducted were first
established at the Congregational church about the year
1824. For many years previous to that time the young
people were catechised at their homes and sometimes at
the meeting house. The text books at that time were the
New England Primer or Westminster Assembly's Shorter
Catechism. In some cases the children were required to
commit a few verses from the Bible or some stanzas from
the hymn books. Some of the teachers in the public
schools required their pupils to commit verses or hymns on
Sundays to be recited at the opening of the school on Mon-
day morning.
When the Sunday school was regularly established by
the Congregational society, a library of a small number
of books was purchased. The books, many of which were
written in England were published by the American Sun-
day School Union of Philadelphia. One of the first text
books used was entitled Cummings' Questions.
PROGRESSIVE ORTHODOXY.
It is the belief of all evangelical Christians that no per-
sons can be saved from eternal punishment except by sin-
cere faith and trust in the personal Lord Jesus Christ, who
was born in Bethlehem , as their Redeemer, and according-
ly the many millions of people who have lived in heathen
lands and have never heard or known of Him, will be for-
ever lost. In 1887, the professors of the Theological Sem-
inary at Andover, Mass., published a volume entitled
"Progressive Orthodoxy" in which they endeavored to prove
by scripture authority that all persons who have died with-
out a knowledge of Christ will be afforded an opportunity
to know and accept Him as their Saviour after death in a
state of probation of greater or lesser duration before the
final judgment day. This doctrine has been endorsed by
a considerable number of the younger class of Congrega-
tional ministers in the United States, while the majority of
the older class, among whom are some of the ablest, re-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 467
-g-ard it as a dangerous heresy. Many of the latter class of
ministers refuse'to take any part in the ordination of instal-
lation of ministers who embrace those views.
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
In 1810. the Congregationalists of the United States or-
ganized a great national society called the American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign missions for sending the
gospel to heathen lands. Missions were established in
various places to the end that the people there may be
saved from perdition. These missions were supported by
contributions from the Congregationalists in various cities
and towns in the several states of the Union. During the
past seventy years the members of the Congregational so-
ciety in Candia have contributed a large sum of money in
the aggregate to aid in providing liberal salaries for mis-
sionaries of both sexes and their families. Some of the
missionaries receive a salary of $1000 and upwards beside
the expense of their transportation to" their fields of labor.
For many years the Board has published^ monthly period-
ical called the Missionary Herald, containing reports of
the condition and progress of foreign missions fiom time to
time. Several copies of this periodical were taken in Can-
dia. At a prayer and conference meeting in the school
house of old district No. 2, in the summer of 1829, Dea.
Daniel Fitts made an earnest exhortation in the course of
which he referred to the grand results of foreign missions.
In his enthusiasm he said he had no doubt that some of the
little boys and girls then present at the meeting would live
to see the long promised millenium when the people of the
whole earth will become believers in evangelical doc-
trines and be fully regenerated and purified from all sin.
Since that time a large number of missionaries have been
sent out by the Board. The Methodists, Baptists and Epis-
copalians in Europe and America have also established
missions in various heathen countries. The members of
the Free Will Baptist Society in Candia have contributed
liberally for the support of foreign missions many years.
At the New Hampshire Free Will Baptist Yearly Meeting
468 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
in Manchester, in 1890, Rev. F. C. Chase of Dover deliv-
ered the annual address on Foreign Missions in the course
of which he said that it is estimated there are now on the
earth eleven hundred millions of human beings who are
unreached by Christian influences o: any k:nd. lie also said-
there are in the world thirty millions ot Protestant church
members and one million-and a half of heathen converts
to Christianity. He also stated that "the terrible influence
of ungodly English speaking people is almost past belief.
The vast quantities of liquors sent from America ruin more
than the church can save. Boston alone sent in five years
more than 1,500,000 gallons of rum to Africa."
Rev. Dr. E. K. Alden, the present secretary of the
American Board, in a recent letter to the author
of this history, stated that it is estimated that the total pop-
ulation of the world is now fourteen hundred and eighty
millions, of whom four hundred millions live in nominal
Christian countries and that there are about one million and
a half of heathens who have abandoned heathen practices,
about one half of whom, or seven hundred and fifty thou-
sand, are communicants in native Christian churches.
According to the above estimates it appears that out of
fourteen hundred and eighty millions of people now on the
globe there are thirty one and a half millions who are
members of Protestant Christian churches, including half
a million of communicants in native heathen churches
while the vast majority are still unconverted and unrecon-
ciled to Christ according to evangelical standards. It
would seem therefore, that good Dea. Fitts was somewhat
over sanguine in his expectations seventy years ago as to
the time of the coming of the millenium.
The Catholics of Europe and America long ago estab-
lished missions among the heathen and in recent years the
Unitarians and Universalists have sent out missionaries to
India, Japan and other heathen lands. A Congregational
minister who is well known to Candia people has been lo-
cated as a missionary in Japan for several years. He re-
cently reported to his friends in New Hampshire that the
heathen in that country are often greatly bewildered and
perplexed in their attempts to decide as to which class of
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 469
missionaries they should believe and follow, one class
telling- them that there is an eternal hell for unbelievers in
their doctrines and another class assuring them that there is
no hell at all and that all mankind, however weak and er-
ring they may be, will finally be brought safely to the bos-
om of their Infinite Father and Creator who loves them
better than earthly parents ever did or can love their chil-
dren, while the Catholics tell them that they are the
representatives of the only true Christian church.
Some of the missionaries to India have recently reported
to the American Board that many intelligent Hindoos re-
fuse to listen to the teachings ot evangelical missionaries
for the reason that, according to the doctrine that all
who die without faith in Christ will be consigned to eter-
nal punishment, implies that all their ancestors for untold
generations have been suffering forages, the torments of
the damned.
In these latter days the people of Candia are tolerant and
kindly disposed towards each other, notwithstanding their
differences of opinion upon religious subjects. This state
of things is in wide contrast with that which prevailed
eighty years ago or more when the Free Will Baptists se-
ceded from the Congregational church and were regarded
as dangerous heretics bv their former brethren because
they believed in the doctrine of the Freedom of the Will
and that immersion was the proper mode of baptism.
During the past twenty years the doctrines of total de-
pravity, election, the perseverance of the saints and the
•eternal punishment of unbelievers in hell have been seldom
alluded to in many of the evangelical churches in New
Hampshire and in, many cases, those doctrines have been
stricken from the creed. Many orthodox clergymen now
preach the doctrine that no person can be supremely hap-
py, either here or hereafter, without being freed from the
dominion of their animal passions and sins of every name
and nature. Rev. Dr. Nichols, Assistant Protestant Bishop
•of California, in a sermon which he preached in Boston in
1892, said that the true mission of the Christian church was
/not so much for keeping people from going to hell as it
47° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
was to keep hell out of them and not so much for getting-
people into heaven as to get heaven into them.*
For many years the Baptist, Congregationalist and;
Methodist ministers refused to hold any relations of a
religious nature with Unitarian or Universalist ministers.
At this time the latter class of ministers officiate at funerals
and upon other public occasions in connection with those-
who hold to orthodox doctrines, and in many cases
Unitarian ministers are invited to preach in orthodox,
pulpits.
It may be mentioned that there have been some persons-
in Candia who have fully endorsed the great doctrine of
"The Right of Private Judgement" in all matters pertaining
to religion and our relations to the spiritual world as claim-
ed by Luther and other leaders of the Protestant Reforma-
tion. They, moreover, insist that all men are endowed
with moral and spiritual instincts or intuitions to a greater
or less degree, which, when fully developed, will enable
them to discover at first hand the highest and grandest
moral and spiritual ideas and principles; to know truth from
error and justice from injustice. They refuse to submit to*
the authority of all persons or ecclesiastical bodies of any
age or nation, whether they be Jews or Gentiles, Catholics
or Protestants, and they endeavor to follow the teachings
of Jesus, who said to his persecutors, "Yea, why even of
yourselves judge ye not what is right,'- and the advice of
Paul who said, "Prove all things and hold fast that' which
* A few years ago the following anecdote appeared in the Editor's Drawer of
Harper's monthly magazine of New York City.
In 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was about to leave his home in Springfield, III.,
to take the Presidential chair, an old Baptist minister of the place called upon
him to bid him goodby. In the conversation which ensued, the minister told the
President-elect that he was deeply concerned for the salvation of his soul and
kindly warned him that unless he repented of his sins and fully believed on the
Lord Jesus Christ, he would be eternally punished in hell. Mr. Lincoln replied
by saying that when he lived in Kentucky, he was acquainted with an eccentric
man by the name of Liucum Todd who wrote an epitaph to be placed on his tomb-
stone at his death. Mr. Lincoln remarked that the epitaph was a clearer and bet-
ter expression of his sentiments upon the question of the future punishment of
the wicked than any statement he had ever seen. He then repeated the epitaph*
as follows :
Here lie the bones of Lincum Todd,
Have mercy on him gracious God,
He would on you if he were God,
And you were only Lincum Todd.
HISTORY OF CANDIA 47 l
is good." Hence they believe that the intelligent soul is
the supreme and final authority in the search for truth.
Such as these insist that honest belief in a dogma or doc-
trine of religion, (and there can be no real belief which is
not honest), depends upon the intelligence of an individ-
ual and the evidence submitted, or upon the influences
which are brought to bear upon the mind and is, therefore,
wholly involuntary; and yet, for ages, people have been
taught that their salvation from eternal punishment depends
upon their belief in certain doctrines or dogmas which may
be true or false. They also claim that they have the mor-
al right to criticize the sayings of every man and woman
whoever lived and those contained in every book which
was ever printed.
OFFICERS OF THE UNION BAPTIST CHURCH.
The following names of the officers of the Union Baptist
Church were accidently omitted in the history of that or-
ganization commencing on page 215 of this work:
DEACONS.
Abraham Bean, Samuel Dudley, Samuel Tuck, Richard
Currier, Woodbury J. Dudley, Gordon Bean, John H. Fos-
ter.
CLERKS OF THE SOCIETY.
Thomas Critchett, John Moore, John A. Cram, Jacob S.
Morrill, Daniel B. Robinson, John Trescott.
CLERKS OF THE CHURCH.
Jeremiah Fullerton, William Turner, Samuel Dudley, A.
D. Dudley, 'Edgar S. Carr, W. J. Dudley.
CHAPTER XXXI.
TOWN OFFICERS.
REPRESENTATIVES TO THE PROVENCIAL CONGRESS AT EXETER.
Doct. Samuel Mooers. May 1775
Moses Baker, Dec. 1775
Dr Samuel Mooers. 1776
Moses Baker. 1777
Walter Robie,
Nathaniel Emerson,
Ezekiel Knowles.
1780-81
1782
1783
UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
Abraham Fitts,
1784
Nathaniel Emerson,
1785-86
Stephen Fifleld,
17&5-88
Voted not to send,
1789-90
Nathaniel Emerson,
1791-92
Samuel Morrill,
1793-94
Nathaniel Emerson,
1794-98
Thomas Wilson.
1799 to 1S04
Jesse Eatou,
1804-05
Richard Emerson,
1806
John Taylor,
1807
Moses Fi'tts,
1808 to 10
John lay lor,
1811-12
Samuel Anderson,
1813 to 15
John Lane,
1816 to 18
Moses Bean.
1819
Peter Eaton,
1820-21
Moses Bean,
1822
John Lane,
1S23 to 28
Henry T. Eaton,
1S29 to 32
Johu'Moore,
1833-34
Benjamin Pillsbury,
1835
Abraham Emerson,
1836-37
Oilman Richardson,
1838-39
Joseph Richardson,
1840
Rufus E. Batten,
1841-42
James Smith,
1843-44
Jonathan Martin,
1845-46
Joseph C. Langford,
1847-48
Austin Cass,
1849
Rufus E. Patten,
1850
Samuel Dudley,
1851-52
Francis Patten,
1853
Austin Cass.
Francis Patten,
I -:,4
Austin Case,
Jonathan H. Philbrick,
1S55
Jon than H. Philbrick,
[856
William Crane,
1 857
Ezekiel Lane
William Crane,
1858
Ezekiel Lane,
Henrv M. Eaton,
1859
Elias'P. Hubbard,
Henry M. Eaton,
I860
Elias P. Hubbard,
Voted not to send,
1861
John Brown,
1862
Gordon Bean.
John Brown,
1863
Gordon Bean,
Alexander Gilchrist,
1864
Cyrus T. Lane,
True French,
1865
Alvin D. Dudley,
\> iliiani 1). Ladd,
1866
Alvin D. Dudley,
Joseph Hubbard,
1867
Benjamin Dearborn,
Jesse W. Sargent,
1868
John W. Cate,
Jesse W. Sargent,
1869
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jesse M. Young,
1870
Jonathan Pillsbury,
Jesse M. Young,
1871
Jonathan Pillsbury,
Jacob L. Barker,
1872
John H. Nutting,
William B. Thorne,
1873
James It. Batchelder,
William B. Thorne,
1874
James R. Batchelder,
Frank P. Langford,
1875
James Adams,
Voted not to send.
1876
Voted not to send,
1877
John W. Cate,
1878
Isaiah S.Lang,
Frank P. Brown,
1879
Andrew J. Edgerly,
1880
A.J. Edgerly,
Charles H. French,
1881
1882
Charles H. French,
1883
George W. Whittier,
1884
George Wr, Whittier,
1885
Voted not to send.
1886
Voted not to send,
1887
T. Benton Turner,
188.H
T. Benton Turner,
1889
Henry W. Moore,
1890
■472
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
473
MODERATORS.
Samuel Mooers,
John Clay,
Abraham Fitts,
Moses Baker,
Abraham Fitts,
Moses Baker,
Benjamin Cass,
Walter Robie,
Benjamin Cass,
Walter Robie,
Abraham Fitts,
John Lane,
Samuel Towle.
Samuel Morrill,
Walter Robie,
Nateaniel Emerson,
Walter Kobie,
John Lane,
Moses Fitts,
John Lane,
Daniel Fitts,
Henry Eatou,
Daniel Fitts,
Henry Eaton,
Daniel Fitts,
Samuel Foster,
Dauiel Fitts,
1704
1765
1706 to 1768
1769
1770
1771 to 1778
1779
1780
1781
1782
1783
1784 to 1788
1789
1890
1791— 92
179:;
1794 to 1797
1798 to 1S02
1803
1804—05
1806 to 1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814—15
| Benjamin Pillsbury,
I Daniel Fitts,
Henry Eaton,
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Henry Eaton,
Benjamin Pillsburj,
Henry Eaton,
John Lane,
Benjamin Pilllsbury,
John Moore,
Rufus E. Patten,
Jonathan Martin,
."Jonathan Martin,
Rufus E. Patten,
John Prescott,
Austin Cass,
John Prescott,
Moses Emerson,
Ge >rge Emerson,
Moses F. Emerson,
Austin Cass,
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Frank P. Laugford,
Frank P. Laugford,
A ndrew J. Edgerly,
Frank P. Langl'oni,
Frank P. Laugford,
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820—21
1822
1823 to 1829
1820— 31
1832—33
1834 to 1841
1842 to 185o
1851
1852
1858
1854 to 1860
1861 to 1865
1866
1867
1868 to 1875
1875
b>70
1877 to 1885
1886
1887
1888 to 1890
1891
1892
SELECTMEN".
1764.
Benjamin Bachelder,
John Sargent,
Jeremiah Bean.
1765-66.
Samuel Mooers,
Jonathan Hills,
Moses Baker.
1767-68.
Nathaniel Emerson,
Abraham Fitts,
Jchabod Robie.
1769,
Nathaniel Emerson,
lchabod Robie,
Dr. Samuel Mooers.
1770.
Walter Robie,
Abraham Fitts,
Benjanin Cass.
1771.
Moses Baker,
Theophilus Sargent,
Nathaniel Bnrpee.
1772 to 75.
Moses Baker,
Walter Robie.
Abraham Fitts.
1776.
Nathaniel Emerson,
Walter Robie,
Moses Baker.
1777.
Nathaniel Emerson,
William Baker,
Theophilus Clough.
1778.
Jonathan Brown,
John Lane,
Walter Robie.
1779.
Nathaniel EmersoD,
Abraham Fitts,
Isaiah Rowe.
1780.
Nathaniel Emerson,
Abraham Fitts,
John Lane,
1781.
Abraham Fitts,
Nathaniel Emeison,
Benjamin Cass.
1782-83.
Samuel Buswell.
John Hills,
Ephraim Eaton.
1784 to 87.
Ephraim Eaton,
John Clifford,
Samuel Morrill.
1788.
Jonathan Bagley,
John Lane,
Abraham Fitts.
1789 to 91
John Lane,
Jonathan Brown,
Ephraim Eaton.
1792 to 94.
Ephraim Eaton,
Jonathan Brown.
Walter Robie,
1795.
Walter Robie,
Ephraim Eaton,
Thomas Wilson.
1796.
John Clay,
Abraham Fitts,
Nathan Brown.
1797-98.
Walter Robie,
Thomas Wilson,
Jesse Eaton.
1799.
Jesse Eaton,
Thomas Wilson.
John Lane.
1800-01
John Lane,
Samuel Mo mil,
John Clay.
' 1802.
John Lane,
Walter Robie,
Moses Fitts.
1803.
Daniel Fitts,
Jonathan Currier,
Theophilus Clough.
1804.
John Clay,
Jonathan Currier,
Theophilus Clough.
1S05.
John Clay,
John Lane,
Henry Eaton.
4 74
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
1806.
Joseph C.Smith,
Jonathan Currier,
Simon Ward.
1807.
Daniel Fitts,
Henry Eaton,
Joseph Hubbard.
1808.
Daniel Fitts,
Henry Eaton,
Theophilus Clough ,
1809.
Henry Eaton,
Moses Bean,
Moses Colby.
1810.
Henry Eaton,
Moses Bean,
John Lane, Jr.
1811-12.
John Lane, Jr.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Jonathan C. French.
1813.
John Lane, Jr.
Henry Eaton,
Daniel Fitts.
1814-15.
John Lane,
Daniel Fitts,
Thomas Hobbs.
1816.
Jacob Libbee,
Peter Eaton,
Jonatnan Currier,
1817.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Peter Eaton,
Jonathan Currier.
1818.
Peter Eaton,
Benjamin Pillsbury.
Moses Bean.
1819.
Peter Eaton,
John Lane,
Nathaniel Wheat.
1820.
John Lane,
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Moses Bean.
1821.
John Lane,
Nathaniel Wheat,
Jacob Libbee.
L822.
John Lane,
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Nathaniel Wheat.
1823.
Peter Eaton,
Nathaniel Wheat
Benjamin Pillsbury.
Peter Eaton,
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Ezekiel Laue.
1825.
Peter Eaton,
Ezekiel Lane.
Benjamin Pillsbury.
18. '6
Ezekiel Lane,
Simon French,
Daniel Fitts.
1827-28.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Peter Eaton,
Simon French.
1829-30.
John Lane,
Samuel Dudley.
Francis Patten.
1831.
John Lane,
Samuel Dudley,
Cofflin M. French.
1832-33.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Abraham Emerson,
Jonathan Martin.
1834.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Dudley Bean,
James Smith.
1835.
Dudley Bean.
James' Smith,
B. P.Colbv.
1836.
B. P. Colby,
John Moore,
Benjamin Hubbard.
1837.
Benjamin Hubbard,
Samuel Tuck,
Kufus E. Patten.
1838-39.
Rufus E. Patten,
Joseph Bean,
Bilev Smith.
1840.
John Moore,
Parker Hill,
Leonard Dearborn.
1841.
John Mooie.
Leonard Dearborn,
Parker Hill.
1842.
John Moore,
Abraham Emerson ,
Henry M. Eaton.
1843-44.
Henry M. Eaton,
Nehemiah Colby,
Jonathan Currier.
1845.
Abraham Emerson,
Joseph C. Langford,
John Prescott, Jr.
1846.
Joseph C. Langford,
John Prescott Jr.
Elias P. Hubbard.
1847.
John Prescott,
Elias P. Hubbard.
Carr B. Haines.
1848.
Francis Patten,
Charles S. Emerson,
Jesse R. Fitts,
1849.
Charles S. Emerson,
Jesse R.Fitte,
Freeman Parker.
1850.
Nehemiah Colby,
Henry S. Eaton,
Stephen B. Fitts.
1851
Benjamin P. Colby,
Abraham Emerson,
Coffin M. French.
1852.
Coffin M. French,
Levi Bean,
Cyrus T.Lane.
1853.
Rufus E. Patten,
John Moore,
Ezekiel Lane.
1854.
Levi Bean,
Cyrus T. Lane,
E'dmund Hill.
1855.
Edmund Hill,
John Rowe,
Dana D. Thresher.
1856.
John Rowe,
Dana D. Thresher,
Jonathan Sargent,
1857.
Henry M. Eaton,
Daniel S. Bean,
Joseph Hubbard.
1858.
Henry M. Eaton,
Daniel S. Bean.
Joseph Hubbard.
1859.
DanielS. Bean,
Joseph Hubbard,
Samuel G-. W. Patten.
1S60.
Samuel G. W. Patten,
George Emerson,
Moses French, jr.
1861.
George Emerson,
Moses French Jr.
Benjamin Hubbard,
1862.
Henry M. Eaton,
Austin Cass,
Cyrus T. Lane,
1863.
Henry M. Eaton.
Cyrus T. Lane,
Moses F, Emerson.
1864.
Moses F. Emerson,
William D. Ladd,
Levi Bean.
1S65.
William D. Ladd,
J. Lane Fitts,
Asa S. Dutton.
1866.
Plumer W. Sanborn,
Asa S. Dutton,
Joseph C. Langford.
1867.
Joseph C. Langford,
J. Lane Fitts,
George W. Fitts.
1868.
Josiah M. Fitts,
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Abraham Emerson.
1869.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
A bra nam Emerson,
Frank P. Lansrford.
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
475
1870.
Frank P. Langl'ord,
Amos Polly,
William B. Thorne.
1871.
Abraham Emerson,
Jonathan C. Hobbs,
Parker M. Towle.
1872.
Joseph Hubbard,
Ingalls Hunker,
Francis D. Howe.
1873.
George Emerson,
Andrew J. Edgerly.
Thomas A. Palmer.
1874.
George Emerson,
Andrew J. Edgerly.
Thomas A. Palmer.
1875.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jonathan Pillsbury,
Edmund R. Ingalls.
1876.
Asa Button,
Edmund R. Ingalls,
Aaron F. Patten.
1877.
Edmund R. Ingalls,
Plumer W. Sanborn,
Frank P. Brown.
1878.
Edmund R. Ingalls,
Plumer \V. Sanborn,
Frank P. Brown.
' 1879.
Andrew Edgerly,
Jesse W. Sargent,
Lewis II. Dearborn.
1880.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jesse W. Sargent,
Lewis H. Dearborn.
1881.
Andrew J. Edgerly.
Jesse W. Sargent.
Samuel F. Colcord.
1882-
Jesse W. Sargent,
Samuel F. Colcord,
Frank W. Eaton.
1883.
Jesse W. Sargent,
Samuel F. Colcord,
Frank \V. Eaton
1884.
Samuel F. Colcord,
Edmund Smith,
Benjamin S. Lang.
1885.
Samuel F. Colcord,
Edmund Smith,
Benjamin S. Lang.
1886.
Moses F. Emerson,
Josiah M. Fitts,
George F. Patten.
1887.
Moses F.Emerson,
Josiah M. Fitts,
George F. Patten.
1888.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jesse W. Sargent,
Jacob F. Holt.
18S9.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jesse W. Sargent, "
Benjamin S. Lang.
1890.
Andrew J. Edgerly,
Jesse W. Sargent,
Benjamin S. Lang.
1891.
Jesse W. Sargent,
Benjamin S. Lang,
Charles H. Gile.
1892.
Jesse W. Sargent,
Daniel F. Emerson,
Frank P. Langl'ord.
TOWN CLERKS.
Samuel Mooers, from
Sam'l Mooers, Jr. "
Walter Robie, "
Richard Emerson, "
John Lane, from Oct.
Peter Eaton, from
Frederick Fitts, "
S. A. Sargent, "
John Moore, 3d, "
Dr. Sam'l Sargent, "
Abraham Fmierson,
Rutus E. Patten, "
Josiah S. Shannon, "
Henry M. Eaton, "
Plumer W". Sanborn,
Moses B. Smith, "
Austin Cass, "
1 763,
30
yrs.
1793,
5
it
1798,
8
(t
1806,
S
mo
1806,
6
mo
1820,
n
yrs
1831,
l
tt
1832,
2
II
1834,
•>
'
1836,
4
i i
1840
1850,
5
t (
1845,
2
a
1847,
6
it
1853,
2
tc
1855,
3
i t
1858,
1
'■
Woodbui-y J. Dudley,
Jacob L. Barker, "
Gil man C. Lang, "
John II. Noyes, "
Gilman A. Bean, "
John II. Nutting, "
Edmund R. Ingalls, "
John II. Nutting, "
Edmund R. Ingalls, "
John H. Foster, "
John K. Nay, "
Frank W.Eaton,
John F.Buswell, "
Edwin J. Godfrey, "
Charles H. Turner, "
Joseph C. Moore, "
Charles H. Turner, "
1859,
3 "
1862,
5 "
1867,
1 "
1868,
1 "
1869,
1 •'
1870,
1 "
1871,
1 "
1872,
1 "
1873.
1 "
1874,
2 "
1876,
1 "
1877,
5 "
1882,
3 "
1885,
1 "
18S6,
2 "
1888,
i "
1889,
4 "
TOWN TREASURERS.
Previous to 1851, no town Treasurers were chosen or ap-
pointed. The public monies were received and disbursed
by one or more of the Selectmen. Since 1850, Treasurers
have been sometimes chosen at annual town meetings and
at other times the office has been filled by the Selectmen.
After the alleged embezzlement by E. R. Ingalls, who was
appointed Treasurer by his two associates in the board of
476
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Selectmen, the citizens of the town voted that after that date
the Treasurer should be elected at the annual town meet-
ing.
The following are the names of the town Treasurers since
1850:
B. P. Colby,
Rufus E. Patten,
Moses B, Smith,
John Rowe,
Henry M. Eaton,
S. G. W. Patten,
George Emerson,
Henry M. Eaton,
Moses F. Emerson,
William D. Ladd,
Plumer W. Sanborn,
Joseph C. Langford,
1851—52
1853 — 55
1856
1857
1858
1859—60
1861
1S62— 63
1864
1865
1866
1867
Abraham Emerson, 1868—70
George Emerson, 1871 — 72
Joseph Hubbard, • 1872
George Emerson, 1872—74
Andrew J. Edgerlv, 1875
AsaS.Dutton, 1876
Edmund It. Ingalls, 1877 — 78
George Emerson, 1879—85
Andrew J. Edgerly, 1886
Ge. rge Emerson, 1887
Thomas B. Turner, 18S8— 91
Frank I". Brown, 1892
COLLECTORS.
Winthrop Wells,
Enoch Rowell,
Jeremiah Bean,
John Clay,
Jonathan Hills,
Moses Baker,
Jonathan Bean,
Theophilus Clough,
William Baker,
Theophilus Clough,
John Hills,
Abraham Fitts,
Benjamin Cass,
John Carr,
Thomas Patten,
John Clifford,
James Miller,
Zachariah Clifford,
Obed Hall,
Jonathan Bagley,
Theophilus Sarg'ent,
Thomas Patten,
Oliver Smith,
Samuel Mooers jr.
John Wasoi:,
Jeremiah Bean,
John Buswell,
John Wason,
John Sargent,
Jeremiah Bean,
Jonathan Currier,
Benjamin Wadleigh,
Stephen Clay,
Samuel Patten,
Benjamin Wadleigh,
Biley Smith,
Joseph Carr.
Benjamin Pillsbury,
Simon Ward,
Jacob Libbee,
John Sargent,
IT
1764
1765
1766
1767
1768
1769
1770
71-72
1773
1774
1775
177(i
1777
1778
177't
1780
1781
1782
1783
1784
1785—86
17«7
1788
1789—91
1792
1793
1794
1795
1796
1797—98
1799
1800—01
1802—03
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808 —09
1810
1811
18lo
Jacob Libbee( 1813
Moses Dearborn. 1814
Samuel Patten, 1815
Moses Dearborn. 1816— lo
Moses Bagley, 1819
Moses Dearborn, 1820—29
John Moore, 1830
Samuel Cass, 1831
John Moore, 1832
David Bean, 1833—34
Willis Patten, 1835—39
John Prescott, 1840—41
Aaron T. Bagley, 1842
John Prescott, 1843 — 44
Isaiah Lane, 1845—46
John Rowe, 1847—48
John Prescott, jr., 1S49— 50
Stephen B. Fitts, 1851
John Prescott, jr., 1852—53
John Rowe, 1854
John Prescott, jr., 1855
True French, 1856
John Prescott, jr., 1857
Edmund Smith, 1858
J. Harvey Philbrick, 1859
Charles S. Emerson, 1860—61
Cyrus T. Lane, 1862—63
John Rowe, 1864
Moses F. Emerson. 1865—66
Hiram C. Mathews, 1S67
Ingalls Bunker, 1868
Jonathan C. Hobbs, 1869—70
John W. Cate, 1871—72
Hiram C. Mathews, 1873—74
John W. Cate, 1875
Moses F. Emerson, 1876
Jonathan C. Lobbs, 1877—79
Jesse M. Young, 1880—84
George E. Eaton, 1885
Ingalls Bunker, 1886-87
John W. Cate, 1888—92
For many years previous to 1845 the privilege of collect-
ing the taxes for the year was set up at auction and sold to
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
477
the lowest bidder. When there was a lively competition
lor the office the bids were sometimes as low as ten dollars.
At other times the bids ranged from twenty to fifty dol-
lars.
Mi'ERIXTKXDENTS OE SCHOOLS.
The following are the names of citizens who superin-
tended the public schools of the town from i S 1 6 to 1885,
when important changes were made in the laws relating to
the managment of the schools:
Rev. Isaac Jones,
Dr. Nathaniel Wheat,
Elijah Smith,
Daniel Fitts,
Moses Sargent, jr.,
Cotton Ward,
Benjamin Pillsbuiy,
Joseph Hubbard,
Moses Dearborn,
Rev. Moses Beau,
Thomas Towle,
Jonathan Currier,
John Lane,
Samuel Cass,
William Robie,
Jonathan Bean,
Rev. A. Wheeler,
John Lane, jr.,
Anthony Langford,
John Wason,
Rev. David Harriman,
Nathan Brown,
Timothy Currier,
Simon French,
Dr. Isaiah Lane,
Francis Patten,
John Moore,
Rev. Jesse Meader,
Rufus E. Patten,
Alfred M. Colby,
Rev. Charles P. Russell,
Rev. B. 8. Manson,
Dr. Samuel Sargent,
Dr. Joseph Eastman,
Abraham Emerson,
Rev. William Murdock,
H. K. Davis,
Fdmund Hill,
Dr. R. H. Page,
Francis B. Eaton,
Pike Hubbard,
Wesley Lovejoy,
David P. Rowe,
John G. Lane,
Rufus E. Patten,
Rev. \V. T. Herrick,
Rev. Eli Fernald,
Woodbury J. Dudley,
George B. Brown,
Dr. R. H. Page,
Rev. E.N. Hidden,
Rev. Silas Green,
Dr. E. B. Berry.
J. Lane Fitts,
Rev. N. C. Lothrop,
Orestes I. Bean,
Charles R. Rowe,
Rev. William C. Reade,
Daniel F. Emerson,
James R. Batchelder,
John H. Nutting,
Nathan G. Moore,
Rev. J, N. Rich.
DEPUTY SHERIFFS.
The following are the names of citizens or Candia who
have served as ^deputy sheriffs in Rockingham County:
John Moore, Carr B. Haines, George Eben Eaton, Jona-
athan C. Hobbs, Henry W. Moore.
John Moore, who was a deputy sheriff forty years ago,
was also crier of the courts which were held at Portsmouth
or Exeter.
His son, Henry W. Moore, who holds at the present time
the office of deputy sheriff, also officiated as crier of the
courts.
No lawyer was ever settled in the town.
478 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
TOWN MEETINGS.
The annual town meetings sixty years ago were regard-
ed as very important events and in case the weather was
fine, nearly all the citizens, except those who were disabled
by age or sickness, were present. The town meeting was
regarded as a holiday by the young men and boys, and
some of them earned a few cents by selling molasses can-
dy, which they had manufactured at their homes. Until
1838, the meetings were held in the old Congregational
meeting house. The moderator, town clerk and selectmen
occupied the deacon's seats below and in front of the high
pulpit. The check-list and other papers were spread out
upon the communion table, which was hung on hinges and
supported in a horizontal position by a moveable brace at-
tached to its underside. The old house was burned in Jan.,
1 838, and the town meeting took place that year in the Bap-
tist church at the Village. The new Congregational church
was finished in 1839, and since that time the elections have
taken place in the vestry of that building. Within fifty
years there have been several attempts to secure a vote of
the citizens of the town to erect a town house, but all ef-
forts in that direction have failed.
JT
/I U B U /? N
£ ST E ■/?
CHAPTER XXXII.
HOMESTEADS AND T HEIR OWNERS.
In this chapter is contained a statement of the location
of the residences of the people of the town from the time of
its first settlement to the present period and the names of
their owners as far as could be conveniently obtained. On
account of the great difficulty encountered in looking up
facts in the case, various mistakes have probably been
made. The names of the first owner of each dwelling
place is first given and those of his succesors follow in the
order of time, the name of the present owner being the
last.
THE BURPEE ROAD (Going West.)
No. 1. W. WeUs,Dea. Nathaniel Burpee from Rowley, Mass., Nathaniel Burpee,
Jr.,' Jonathan Burpee, Francis D. Rowe .
■.». John Lane, Sr., from Poplin now Fremont, Ezekiel Lane, Arthur Bean.
■ '>. S. Freeman Rowe, Mrs, Freeman Kowe.
4. Nicholas French, Sr., from Salisbury, Mass., Aaron Rowe, Emeline Kowe
Clara Kowe, Philip Nelson.
'>. Nicholas French, Jr., Stephen Smith, Samuel Martin, William S. Healey.
NORTH ROAD (Going West).
No. 1. Benjamin Batchelder, Nicholas French, Jr., Rev. Abraham Wheeler,
Stephen Smith, Thomas Morse, John C. Brown, Mrs. Thomas Morse.
I. James Eaton from Dunstable, Jonathan Rowe- Nathaniel Rowe, Jr.,Lewls
Moore.
:;. Moses French, 2nd, son of Moses French, Sr.and various tenants.
4. Moses French, Sr„ from Hampton Falls, John Lane Esq., Addison Smith
James Brown.
."i. Isaiah Rowe, from Hampton Falls, Nathaniel Rowe, Sr., John Rowe,
Josiah Richardson, George Richardson.
ti. John Rowe, Frank Brown, Mrs. John Nelson, Abraham Wallace, John A.
Haines, Mrs. John A. Haines.
7. .Jonathan Rowe, Nathaniel Rowe, Sr.,, and many tenants.
8. Site of house where Daniel Rowe the schoolmaster lived.
9. Site of house where Samuel Worthen, who came from Poplin, resided.
10. Maj. Jacob Worthen, Nathan Fitts, Joshua Lane, Charles R. Rowe.
II. Site of house where Samuel Worthen, Sr., lived. The house was torn
down but George Bean built a new one close by.
479
480 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
12. Moses Rowe, Charles R. Rowe, Daniel McDonald.
13. Site of house where Maj. Joseph Wiggin lived, Moses Rowe.
: I. Site of house built by William Phillips, Charlotte Phillips, Thomas Rund-
lctt.
15. Site of first house erected by Nathaniel Brown, who came from Kensing-
ton.
16. Site of the second house which was built and occupied by Nehemiah
Brown, Sr., Nathan Brown, his son.
17. Nathan Brown, Sr., Major Nathan Brown, Mrs. Dolly Brown, who mariied
Daniel Sawyer, Daniel Sawyer.
IS. Abraham Fitts, 2nd, Jesse R. Fitts, Mrs. Jesse R. Fitts.
19. Site of a house built by Nathan Fitts, brohter of Abraham Fitts, 2nd.
•20. Obededom Hall from Chester, who first settled in this section of the town.
Sargent Hall, Sally Hall, Edward Hall, Mrs. Ezekiel Oilman, Augustus
Oilman, John Heathcote. Edward Tyrrell.
21. Obededom Hall, jr., Robert Clark on the Cross Road near the North
Road.
22. On the north end of the lot near Deerfleld line, Jonathan Hall built a
house, Daniel Hartford and George Hartford lived there.
23. On the west end of New Boston road near North road Cyrus Batchelder
built a house, Obededom Halt was the next owner, Augustus Robbins,
John A. Haines, George Hartford.
24. John Lang, Frank Wallace, George Hartford.
25. Sewell Brown. Sr., William Brown, Sewell Brown, 2nd, George Miller,
Edward Hall.
26. South side of road, Stephen Brown, Sr., son of Sewell Brown, Sr. The
old Hook house was moved to the lot fifty years ago, Stephen Brown, jr.,
Jonn Nelson, Simon Fifield. John A. Batchelder owned it when it was
burned.
27. Stephen Palmer, Stephen Palmer, Jr., Josiah Palmer Josiah Hook,
28. William Burleigh, John Burleigh.
29. William Burleigh, William Burleigh' jr., Gilman Lang, Samuel Tuck,
John Hall, O. Irving Bean.
30. Benjamin Hall, Moses Hall, Dana Hall.
31. Oliver Smith, Alfred French, David B. Hall.
32. Oliver Smith, jr., Noah Haines, Mrs. Nathan Griffin.
33. Jonathan Currier, son of Timothy Currier, Martin V. B. Smith, Harvey
Buxton, Charles H. Mayhew.
34. Jonathan Smith Sr., John P. L. Rowe, Aaron Rowe, Jesse Smith, Chase
Smith, son of Jesse Smith.
At the old District No. 7 school house the North Road di-
vides in two branches, one turning to the right and extend-
ing to Allenstown by the way of the Col. Wilson place, and
the other leading straight on towards Hooksett.
The following are the names of the owners of residences
on the latter branch of the North Road :
.'55. Joseph Chase Smith, Jesse Smith, George Smith, Addison Smith.
:)(i. Joshua Hall, Elijah Evans.
37. Caleb Hall, sou of Obededom Hall, Sr., Nathan Hall, Joshna Hall.
38. Site of a house built several years ago by Obededom Hall for the accom-
modation of tenants, Charles Connor bought the place. The house was
burned in 1878.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 48 I
39. On the east Bide of the northwest brand) of the North Road, opposite to
the old school house, is the site of a dwelling house where Jonathan Cur
rier, esq., lived. Timothy Currier, his son, succeeded him.
40. Nathan Thorn, who came from Danville, Amos Thorn, William B. Thorn.
41. About fifty rods above the Thorn house, on the same side of the road, is
the site of a house where Theophilus Currier lived. Sixty-five years ago
he removed to Deerfield.
42. Chase Smith, Stephen Smith, Jonathan Martin, esq.
43. James Smith, sr., son of Oliver Smith, James Smith, jr. The house is in
a rapid state of decay.
44. Jonathan Martin, sr., a son of Moses Martin, sr„ and the father of Jona-
than Martin, esq., heirs of Jonathan Martin, sr. J. Chase Smith and wife
are the present owners.
45- Site of the house where Jonathan Smith lived many years, Elijah Smith,
Sally Smith.
46. Biley Smith., sr., Biley Smith, jr.
47. Levi Bean.
48. Mrs Polly Mead, a daughter of Col. Thomas Wilson. The place is now
owned by Lorenzo Hoit.
49. Col. Thomas Wilson, who came from Londonderrj about the year 1760,
Richard Hoit, his son-in-law, Lorenzo Hoit.
50. Near the junction of the Deerfield road with that leading to Allenstown,
Dr. William Phillips, a physician of some note, resided eighty years
ago.
51. The house on the side of the hill above the corner has had many owners
and tenants. John G. Martin is the present owner.
52. Moses Martin, sr., came to Candia from Amesbury, Mass., about the year
1777 and built a house on the hill close to the Deerfield line. Joseph Mar-
tin, his sou, owned t;he place many years. His grandson, John G. Mar-
tin, is the present owner.
NEW BOSTON ROAD (Going East.)
No. 1. John Hobbs, who came from North Hampton, settled on Walnut Hill,
Jonathan C. Hobbs.
2. Benjamin Lang, sr., came from Rye, and built the house now owned by
his great grandson Isaiah Lang. Capt. Benjamin Lang, jr., was the next
owner and his son, David Lang, had the place. He was succeeded by
his son, Isaiah Lang.
3. Site of a house owned and occupied by Benjamin Lang. John Clay, jr.
who married Benjamin Lang's widow, owned the place.
4. Franklin Clay, sr., son of John Clay, jr.
5. Ensign John Clay, son of John Clay, sr., and brother of Walter Clay, sr.,
and Stephen Clay. His grand-daughter, Mrs. Harriet N. Clay, who mar-
ried George W. Stickney of Beverly, Mass., now owns the place.
6. True Foster, He married Data Hoobs, and she now owns the place.
7. On the corner of the Main road and the shortroad which extends to the
old saw and grist mills, John Morrison built a small house eighty-five
years ago or more. He was one of the seven Candia soldiers who fought
in the battle of Bunker Hill. His son, Thomas Morrison, who was a
soldier of the war of 1812. and David Morrison lived in the house several
years. The place was finally sold to John Worthen. Bartholomew Crow-
ly is the present owner.
, 8. Samuel Judkins, who operated the saw and grist mills many years ago,
owned a house and a small farm close by. When he died the place was
occupied by his son-in-law Aaron Lamprey. Abel Lovejoy, who came
from Hebron, lived on the place and tended the mill.
3*
482 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
9. Barney Donnelly owned a house a few roils belaw the John Worthen
place.
10. Jonathan Worthen, a son of Maj. Jacob Worthen, lived a number of
years in a house on the north side of the main road and near its junc-
tion with the cross road which extends to the Congregational meeting
house. Nathan Prescott and several other persona also lived there. The
house was torn down fifteen or twenty years ago.
There were two othei' very small and poorly constructed houses on the north
side of the road a few rods east of the last one described. They were
torn down a few years ago.
HIGH STREET (Fwm the Corner.)
No. 1. Samuel Mooers, Samuel Mooers, jr., David Pillsbury, Benjamin Fills
bury, William Turner, John Bean, John K. Nay, George W, Seaward.
•2. Benjamin Pillsbury, who built the house on the corner of the lot,
William Turner, John Moore, Henry W. Moore.
3. John Robie the saddler, George Turner.
4. Dr. Timothy Kelley, Peter Lane, Jonathan Sargent, Dea. Josiah Shan
non, Rev. E. N. Hidden, Leonard F. Dearborn, Freeman Parker,
5. John Clay, Joshua Hubbard, J. Pike Hubbard, Asa Dutton, Asa D.
Spaulding.
6. Master Moses Fitts, Frederick Pitts, Mrs. Frederick Fitts, John S. Fat-
ten,
7. South side, Abraham Fitts, Dea. Daniel Fitts, Dr. Joseph Eastman,
Dr. Richard Page, Frank E. Page,
8. North side, Thomas Dearborn, Josiah Palmer, Ichabod Cass, Nathanie
B. Hall, Mrs. N. B. Hall, Frank W. Eaton.
;». Old Parsonage of the Congregational society, sold to Dr. Isaiah Lane,
John Bean, Edward J, Sylvester.
10. The new Congregational Society parsonage.
U. Samuel Dearborn, jr., Dr. Nathaniel Wheat, Dr. Samuel Sargent, Al-
bert Bean, George R. Bean.
12. Rev. Jesse Remington built the frame of this house; Joseph Fitts, Mrs,
Joseph Fitts, George W. Bean.
13. Jesse Eaton, Mrs. Joshua Lane, John Robie, son of Walter Robie, 2d.,
Rev. James H. Fitts is the present owner.
14. Stephen Clay, Peter Eaton, William Crane, John Ewer, heirs of Mrs.
John Ewer.
15. John Carr, Joseph Carr, Nathan Carr, Mrs, John Ewer, heirs of Mrs.
John Ewer.
16. Abel Reed, Josiah French, Capt. True Eaton, Frank W. Eaton.
17. Samuel Mooers, Mrs. Abel Reed, Mary T. French, Charles R. Stacy, Mrs.
Ansel Emerson.
18 Master Moses Fitts, Ichabod Cass, Dudley N. Lang, Capt. Henry True
Eaton.
19. Caleb Brown, Daniel Brown, Caleb Brown, 2nd, David Rowe, Milton
Leeds, George Wallace.
20. Site of residence of Samuel Clough, 2nd.
21. Site of residence of Samuel Clough, Sr., Eder Evans.
22. John Emerson, Alanson Higley, Samuel Watson, William G. Fitts. Mrs.
W. G. Fitts.
23. John Emerson, Moses Watson, William G. Fitts, Mrs. W. Fitts.
24. Samuel Fitts, Leonard Dearborn, Frank A. Hall.
25. John Emerson, Leonard Dearborn Andrew J. Edgerly, Horatio Rowe,
George Smith.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 483
20. Gilman Libbee, two sisters of Gilman Libbee, Mrs. Elbridge Baker.
27. Daniel Fitts, Capt. Abraham Fitts, Mrs Abraham Fitts, Isaac Fitts.
28. Samuel Morrill, 3d.
29. Jonathan Hills, Samuel Morrill, esq., Samuel Morrill, 2nd., Samuel Mor-
rill, 3d, John C. Fifield, Parker Morrill. Benjamin Hubbard, Harrison
Brown.
30. Theophilus Clougb came from Southampton and removed to Springfield.
Theophilus Clbugh, jr., True French. George Ehen Eaton.
31. Samuel Morrill, 2d, Samuel Woodman, (from Kingston), George S.
Trickey, Louis Westover.
32. LeviRobie, A. J. Robie.
33. Ichabod Robie, Levi Robie, sr., Asa Robie, Samuel B. Robie.
34. ( apt. Benjamin Cass, Benjamin Cass, 2d, Aaron Cass, True French, Moiti
F. French, son of Sargent French.
35. John C. Fifleld, Mrs. J. C. Fifield, A . Jackson Fifleld.
30. Site of a house built and owned many years ago by Benjamin Fowler.
27. A man by the name of Hibbard built a house on the north side; Joseph
Wiggin lived here a few years.
38. Edward Martin.
39. A brother of Stephen Fitield, Jonathan Cass, Mrs. Jonathan Ca»s, John
M. French .
40. A new house owned by Charles S. French, son of John M. French.
tl. Jonathan Collins, Jonathan C. French, John C. Fiffeld, Parker Morrill.
Sumner Fifleld, John Fifield, Edwin Fifield and others, Samuel A. Davis.
■12. Stephen Fifield, sr., William Fifield, Nancy Fifield, heirs of Nancy Fifield,
Abraham Sanborn, Peter E. Cross.
43. Jethro Hill, Reuben Fitts, his son-in-law, John Fitts, John Lane Fitts.
44. Sherburne Rowe, Benjamin Rowe, Shepard Bean, Lewis Bean, Joseph
Bean, John Colby of Hooksett, Matthew Cate.
45. John Fitts, John Carter, John Jones, Stephen Fifield, John T. Nelson.
40. George Fifield.
47. Jonathan Brown, Peter Fifield, Jamen Morrill, J. Henry Brown, son of
James Brown.
48- Albert W. Brown.
49. Cyrus Batchelder, Mrs. Stephen Baker.
50. Aaron Brown, sr., brother of Jonathan Brown, came from Kensington,
Aaron Brown, jr., George K. Brown.
51. John Martin, David Brown, jr., Daniel McDuffie, John Baker.
52. Joseph Hubbard, sr., Elias Hubbard and Joseph Hubbard, jr.
53. Joshua Hubbard, Ira Rowe, Joshua Fitts, Lewis Cate.
54. Benjamin Hubbard, Benjamin Hubbard, jr., George Evans, William G.
Fitts, Edward J. Harrington.
55. Benjamin Rowe, jr., Joseph Matthews, Stephen Marsh, Samuel Wood-
man, Matthew Cate, James Foss.
50. David Brown, son of Caleb Brown, sr., John M. Brown, Joseph Cate,
John P. Cate.
57. Silas Cammett, John Cammett, Nehemiah Brown, Ira B. Ordway.
58. Philip and Moses Morse, brothers, Moses Bursiel, sr., Moses Bursiel, jr.
Horatio Rowe, Mrs. Elbridge Baker, Joseph Tufts.
59. Lewis Worthen, Thomas Cate, Matthew Cate.
60. Aaron Towns, George Towns.
61. John Prescott, Samuel Clough, John P. L. Rowe, Amos Polly.
On the road leading from the upper end of High Street to Rowe's Corner
Yarnum Kemp built a house forty years ago. Caroline Wood* owned
the place. Frederick Saunders is the present owner.
484 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
DONIVAN ROAD.
William Donivan. from Hampton Falls, Augustus Hartford, William Nelson..
John C. Fifleld.
MERRILL ROAD (Leading from near the upper end of High Street to
North Road.
Dea. Samuel Cass, son of Capt. Benjamin Cass, Moses Cass, Dea. John
Merrill who came from Hudson, D. Tyler Merrill, Stephen C. Merril, Mr.
and Mrs. William Norton.
The small house near the corner of the Merrill and North Roads. Stephen C.
Merrill and D, T. Merrill resided.
KNOWLTON ROAD (Going North from High Street.
No. 1. Alonzo Wicum, Edwin Rowe, James Clark.
2. Eder Evans, John Clark.
3. Chellus Cass, William Knowlton, Henry Jones.
4. Enoch Worthen, Henry Jones.
TOWER HILL (Going Northwest).
Daniel McDuftie, who came from Chester and settled on the south side of Tower
Hill. He married Ann Shirley and had five sons, viz : Hazen, Samuel
Archibald, Daniel and David.
No. 1. Samuel built a house and engaged in the business of making staves. A
Mr. Conant, a few years later, bought the place. The present owner is
Peter Butler, a native of Vermont who served in the War of the Rebellion
and lost an arm.
2. Samuel and Hazen McDuftie built a house here. The place was owned by
various parties. About fifteen years ago a Frenchman named Michael
Rivers with his wife came to the town and lived on the place several years
when it was sold to Charles Deming. Mr. Rivers was said to have been
nearly a hundred years old.
3. Peter Neal lived many years on the west side of the top of the hill. After
his death William S. Brown had the place. George Colby is the present
owner.
4. Peter Neal, '.who for some time owned the place gave it to his son John
Neal, J. Frank Neal was the next owner and built a new house.
5t This place was first owned by John Neal. Archibald McDuffie and his
son John McDuffie have owned the place.
THE TURNPIKE.
No, 1. Samuel Anderson built a house and kept a tavern when the Chester Turn-
pike was opened in 1805 George Anderson, his son, lived on the place
several years. It is now owned by Andrew Mead.
2, Many years ago Paul Eaton built a house on the Turnpike about a mile
west of Anderson's tavern. His son-in-law Josiah French resided there
several years. About the year 1824, he removed to the house on High
Street now owned by Frank W. Eaton.
3. Samuel Mc. Duffle was the first owner of this place. Lowell McDuffie, a
son of Archibald McDuffie, is the present owner.
4. Horace McDuffie.
5, Lorenzo McDuffie, son of Hazen McDuffie.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 485
•<tf. William Langley, a sou of David Langley, built the house and soon after-
ward died suddenly of heart disease.
7. David Brown, William Langley.
8. Archibald McDuffle.
9. Joshua French, son of Moses French, sr., Mark Pray, Edmund 8. Lang-
ley. After the death of Mr. Langley the place was sold to v*"atson L.
Olmstead of Manchester.
10. David B. Langley, sou of Edmund S. Langley. He built the house in
1860.
11. Dearborn French, son of Moses French, 2d.
12. Moses Freuch, 3d, son of Moses French, 2d. He died of cancer in 1882.
13. Col. Samuel Cass, son of Dea. Samuel Cass, built this house in 1816. In
1825 he sold the place to Moses French, 2d, and removed to the Knowles
place on the Colby Road.
14. J. Sullivan Brown, who came from Lexington, Mass., about the year 1827
and built the house.
SOUTH ROAD (South from Meeting House.)
1. Eleazer Knowles, son of Amos Knowles, sr., E. Quimby Knowles, James
Varnum.
2. Dr. Samuel Foster, Thomas B. Lane, Ebeu Eaton, Osgood Page, A.J.
Edgerly, T. Clow.
3. William Duncan, John D. Patterson, D. Fellows, Edward P. Prescott,
George Brown.
4. Richard Buswell, Otis Colcord, John Harris.
5. Moses Varnum, Webster Varuum.
6. Samuel A. Davis, Edmund Winship, Mrs. IraRowe, George F. Cass.
7. Levi Sanborn, Herbert Reno.
-8. Phineas M. Swain.
9. Au6tinCass.
10. Matthew Ramsey, Amos Knowles, sr., Amos Knowles 2nd, Ebenezer Nay,
Asbury Buswell, Charles G. Pettingill.
11. Ezekiel Knowles, Joseph Foster, Thomas Emerson, Henry S. Eaton,
George Melville from Concord, William Crane.
12. Site of house once owned by Timothy Bagley, a clothier, and the father
of Charles Bagley the clothier at the village.
13. Asahel Quimby, Paul Eaton, Col. Henry T. Eaton, Sally Eaton. Mrs. Mary
Mooie, a grand daughter.
14. Site of a house on the Col. Eaton farm, near Pine Hill road, where Isaiah
Rowe lived a short time after he came to the town.
15. Capt. John Sargeant, Josiah Shannon, Capt, John Webster, Willard Harris
16. Capt. John Sargent, Andrew Mead, David Tabor, Daniel B. Langley.
17. Thomas Anderson, Ingalls Bunker, Amos Whitney.
18. Dea. Caleb Prince, son of Rev. Joseph Prince, Moses Sargeant.
19. John Prince, Moses Sargent, Jesse Sargent.
20. Henry Eaton, son of Ephraim Eaton, who came from Salisbury, Maes.,
Henry M. Eaton, Ellen Eaton.
21. Site of the house built by Benjamin Batchelder, the first owner of the
Ephraim Eaton lot.
22. Josiah Sargeant, sr., brother of Capt. John Sargeant.Josiah Sargeant, jr.,
David Rowe. George W. Robinson, George Young, Gardner Sherburne,
"23. Benjamin Cass, jr., Joseph Pease, Robert McDaniels.
,24. Rufus Sargent, Rufus Hall, Benjamin Cass, sr., Asa S. Dutton, Frank
Haselton.
486
25
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
26
■28
A few rods south of the place last mentioned is the site of the first house
owned by Samuel Buswell, sr., The house was torn down many years
ago.
On the road leading to the school house John Buswell, Daniel McDuffie,.
Daniel B. Langley, John H. Moore.
Jacob Buswell, son of John Buswell, Daniel Jones, Watson Prescot
Jeremiah Lane, heirs of Jeremiah Lane.
Site of house of Walter Robie, 2d, John Robie, his son.
29. Walter Robie, esq., sr., Walter Robie, 3d, John Robie, Asa Truel.
30. Samuel Sargeant, son of Moses Sargeant, sr,, who was a grandson of En-
sign Jacob Sargent of Chester, Charles P. R. Sargent, William Pecker.
31. Samuel Buswell, his son, Samuel Augustus Buswell.
32. Dea. John Hills, who was present at the battle of Bunker -Hill ; Parker
Hills, Dea. Edmund Hills.
33. Daniel Hall.
34. Jonathan Brown, Nathaniel G. Hardy and other owners.
35. Maj. Jesse Eaton, Jacob Mead, Thomas Johnson, Samuel Hardy.
36. Near the intersection of the South Road with the road leading to the
Borough there is the site of a house which was owned by James Eaton, a
Revolutionary Soldier.
COLBY ROAD (Going east.)
No. 1. Levi Knowles, Samuel Cass, Quincy Cass. George F. Cass now owns the
place.
2. On the south side of the road east of the Cass place is the site of a house
which is said to have been built by Stephen Clay before he lived on the
place near the Congregational church now owned by the heirs of John
Ewer. A man by the name of Flagg, whose daughter married Ichabod
Robie, brother of William Robie, lived there several years. The house
was torn down many years ago.
3. Enoch Colby, sr., who came from Chester in 1750. He was succeeded by
Nehemiah Colby, sr., Nehemiah Colby, jr., Rev. James Adams, heirs of
Rev. Mr. Adams.
4. Nehemiah Colby, jr., Rev. James Adams and the heirs of Rev. Mr. Adams
owned the place which has been occupied solely by tenants.
5. Capt. Jacob Libbee, who came from Rye, Barnard Libbee, Levi Barker,
B. B. Bunker, John Rowe.
6. House near the corner of the Chester Road owned by John W. Cateand
occupied by tenants.
BAKER ROAD.
No. 1. Site of a house where Stephen Marden, one of the first settlers lived. His
daughter, Sally Marden, who married Enoch Baker, had the place. After
her death the house was torn down.
5. Site of a house owned by Caleb Brown, jr., Rodney Brown, Thomas Dear-
born, George Brown. The house was burned nearly tweut.v years ago.
3 Site of a house which was built many years ago on a lot west of the Caleb
Brown place by Levi Cass. The iiouse was torn down fifty years
ago.
LIBBEE AND ANDERSON ROADS.
No. 1. Arthur Libbee settled near the corner of the Libbee Road and Anderson
Road. He was a soldier of the Revolution. Isaac Libbee, Gilman Libbee
The house was torn down forty years ago.
2. Moses Sargeunt, son of Winthrop Sargeant, Moses Sargeant, jr., Charles
Smith, who came from Loudon, Edmund E. Smith.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 487
3 Luke Hall, a Portuguese, lived 011 this place. III.-* heirs now own the
property.
4. William Anderson, William Bailey. Charles Aldrich, ( liarle- L. Flint, son
of Luther Flint
5. Site of a house owned by William Anderson, sr.
f>. Thomas Anderson, son of Samuel Anderson, Levi Flint, Luther Flint,
widow of Luther Flint.
7. site of house built by Thomas Anderson, sr., Samuel Anderson, jr,
CHF:sTEK KOA1) (From Depot Village Going South.
No. 1. Moses Emerson, son of Samuel Emerson, fame from Chester in 1762,
Abraham Emerson, Moaes F. Emerson.
2. Thomas Benton Turner, son of William Turner, resides on a part of
the '1 hom as Wilson lot.
3. Thomas Wilson, who came from Chester, his son, Samuel Wilson, Daniel
F. Emerson.
4. Site 01 house of John Koine, came from' Chester, William Robie, his son.
5. Francis Batten, son of William Batten, Aaron Francis Batten.
(i. Jacob Quimby. .Tames Varnum. Joseph Palmer, Thomas Alfred Palmer.
7. William Cushing.
8. Samuel and Thomas Towie, from Chester, John Robie, son of Walter
Robie, jr., Nathaniel I>. Robie, Henry Putton, Asa S. pulton. Samuel G-
Wentworth.
'.'. Zebedee Berry, who came from Greenland. Col. Coffin M. French, son of
.)olm French, sr., Pea. John French.
Hi. Jonathan Hill, William Dolber, Otis Colcord.
11. Simon French, sr.-, came to Candia in 1765 and bought one-half of lot No.
51, second part of second division, for 133 Spanish dollars. John French,
-r . Simon French, jr., George Seavey, Cyrus Prescott, Isaac Underbill.
12. Israel Dolber, IsraelDolber, jr., John Dolber, sr., heirs of John Polber.
Mrs. Mary Colby is the present owner.
13. Capt. Moses Pustin, Mrs. Moses Dustin, Jonathan Dustin, Mrs. George
Seavey, David Brickett, Mrs. Sally Gardner.
14. Sally Dustin, daughter ol Moses Pustin, built a house here about 1805.
Joseph Baud, Isaac Underbill.
15. Jonathan Emerson built a house here in 182.3. His successors were
Charles Lovering, George Davis and James \\r . Plaisted.
16. John Polber, William Polber, heirs of William Polber.
17. On the cross road leading from the Chester road to the southeast corner
of Candia Cornelius Driscoll built a house on land formerly
owned by Maj. Simon French. Jeremiah Crowley also built a house
near that of Mrs. Crowley.
PANCAKE LANK.
No. 1. About seventy rods north of the resilience of Moses Palmer, and on the
same side of the road, there is the site of a house once owned and occupied
by Israel Polber.
2. Site of a house lirst owned by Richard Clark. His successors were Ed-
ward Prescott, sr., Cyrus Prescott, Thomas Dearborn, son of Samuel
Dearborn, 2d, William Hoit. Willard Kent. Heirs of Albert Calmer.
U." S. Jenncss. who came from Nortluiild: Samuel Hardy, who came from
Bye; Samuel Dearborn, 2d; Benjamin Dearborn, J. Franklin Folsom,
Walter H.Huntoon. Moses Palmer.
488
HISTORY OK CANDIA.
4. At the coiner of Pancake Lane and the road that extends from the South
Road and intersects with the Borough Road near the Chester line is a
house which has been owned and occupied by the following persons :
William Norton, Edward Prescott, Jacob Mead, Charles R. Robie, Walter
Foss, Dyer Foss, the father of Sam. Walter Foss, the distinguished poet,
and David E. Brown, grandson of the first David Brown of High Street.
5. On the north side of the cross road leading to South Road is a large, one-
story house which has been owned by Solomon Stevens, Henry Dockham'
the tailor; Jonathan Smith, Addison Seavey and A.J. Butterfield. George
W. Brown is the present owner.
PATTEN ROAD (Commencing at the North Side of the Depot Village,
going southeast.)
I. On the corner, Col. Nathaniel Emerson, first settler, Nathaniel Emerson,
2d, Freeman Parker, John W. Cate.
i. Samuel Emerson, son of Col. Emerson, Phineas Colby, Jonathan Colby,
Hiram C. Matthews, George Warner.
3. Jonathan Ring, Jacob Libbee, Artemas Skelton, Nathaniel Emerson, 2d.
George Emerson, Andrew J. Edgerly, David Miller.
4. Daniel Whittier, Moses Emerson, 2d, Charles 8. Emerson, heirs of Charles
S. Emerson.
5. Capt. Moses Baker, who came from Epping about the year 1763 and re-
moved to Camp ton in 1778, Jonathan Currier, Esq., Jonathan Brown, son
of Nathan Brown, sr., George B. Brown, tenants.
6. Luke Cunningham.
7. John Moore, son of Joshua Moore, William Daniels, John Cunningham.
S. Joshua Moore, Silden Moore, his son, Samuel Gile.
9. Edmund Batchelder, Moses Patten, sr., David Patten, his brother, Rufus
E. Patten, Robert Foss, George Hosely, M. Fairbanks, James W. Preston.
10. Levi Beaudroy.
II. Thomas Patten, who came to Candia in 1774, Samuel Patten, sr., the
father of Rufus E. Patten, Moses Patten, brother of Samuel Patten, sr.,
Samuel G. W. Patten, heirs of Samuel G. W. Patten.
12. Rufus E. Patten, John H. Nutting, son-in-law of R. E. Patten.
13. Site of the house of David McClure, who was the first settler, accord,
ing to Eaton's history of the town, James McClure.
14. Site of tiie house owned by Samuel Patten, Widow Lydia Patten.
ABBOTT ROAD (Going North from the Patten Road to the Railroad
Track.
1. John Abbott, sr., Joseph Dearborn, Joint Abbott, jr., Rufus Abbott.
2., Samuel Seavey, Josiah Whittier, John Emerson, Joseph Abbott,
3. Joshua Moore built a small house on the east side near the north end of
the road many years ago and lived there.
4. Simon N. Healy occupied a house on the road near to that of Joshua
Moore.
JERSEY ROAD (Extending from the Portsmouth Railroad Track near
East Candia Depot to Chester Line Going South.
No.l. .Jacob Sargeant, son of Ensign Jacob Sargcant, sr., of Chester, David
Heath, John Willard, Rufus Abbott, Jefferson Healey, John Healey.
2. Cotton Ward, Frank P. Laugford.
3. Joseph L, Brown, James G. Brown, Luther S. Brown.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 489
4. Jonathan Healey, John Atkins.
5. Rufus Ward, William O. Reynolds!.
6. David Gile, Charles Gile.
7. Caleb Pillsbury, John Dearborn.
8. Asa Dearborn, Charles Dearborn.
9. George Sanborn.
10. Elias Wendell, Asa Dearborn.
11. William S. Brown, Joseph Brown, George H. Brown, J. B. Morrison.
12. John Wason, J. Osgood Wason.
LANGFORD ROAD (East Candia, Going Southeast.)
No.l. On the corner of the Raymond road William Towle, John Robinson, Cot-
ton Ward, Leonard F. Dearborn, Augustus Mulliken, Ira Dearborn.
2. Aaron T. Bagley, Reuben H. Dunn, Cyrus R. Dunn.
3. George W. Seaward, David Collins.
4. William Morrill, J. E. Morrill.
5. Jonathan Smith, jr., son of Jonathan Smith, sr., Charles H. Smith.
6. E. Gale, who came from Salisbury, Mass., Stephen Gale, David Richard-
son, Frank Richardson, Stephen Adams, Samuel Sargent, John Clifford,
Frank Lakin, Jacob Holt.
7. James G. Fitts, a brother of J. Munroe Fitts, Jonathan Smith, Sylvester
Griffin, Frank P. Brown.
8. Addison Bean, Sylvester Griffin, Thomas Clifford.
1). Humphrey Hook, Simon Ward, Anthony Kelley, Josian Fitts, who came
from Southampton in 1830, J. Monroe Fitts.
10. James G. FMtts, John C. Dearborn, heirs of J. C. Dearborn.
11. Benjamin Edgerly, Jacob S. Morrill, James Woodman, John C. Dearborn
who came to Candia in 1830, Woodbury Dearborn.
12. Sargent Currier, Munroe S. Currier.
13. John Waller Langford.
14. Anthony Langford, a native of England who came to Candia from Ports-
mouth about 1820, Joseph C. Langford, Mrs. Harriet C. Hubbard.
15. Anthony Clifford, William Griffin, John Brown.
16. William Clifford, Lewis Dearborn.
ROAD FROM EAST CANDIA SCHOOL HOUSE TO RAILROAD STATION.
No. 1. Jeremiah Brown.
2. Tenement house owned by Frank P. Brown.
3. Also Tenement house owned by Frank P. Brown.
4. Formerly owned by J. C. Langford, Mrs. Joseph B. Roberts, tenant.
5. Owned by Jeremiah Brown. Mrs. Joseph Healey.
RAYMOND ROAD (Going East.)
No. 1. Enoch Rowell was the first settler on the lot on the south corner of the
road where the Masonic Hall is located, He was a soldier of the Revolu-
tion and died at Ticonderoga in 1776. Various parties owned the place
and about the year 1820 John Sargeant, who was a son of Jacob Sargeant,
jr., and a grandson of John Sargeant, sr., who was the first settler on the
B. P. Colby lot, bought the place. He sold to Henry M. Eaton. When
Mr. Eaton retired the place was owned by various persons. Moses D.
Richardson owned it several years and on his death it fell to his heirs.
Mrs. Thomas Bean and her son, Oilman Bean, have resided there a
few years.
094 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
2. John Sargeant, si\, who owned the eighty acre lot on which the old B. L\
Colby house stands, gave his son John an acre of land on the corner
where the Methodist church is located and built him a house. Benjamin
Pillsbury owned the place many years and rented it to tenants, among
whom were James Sargeant and ElishaHuntoon. John Bean owned the
place forty years ago and sold it to the proprietors of the Methodist
church .
3. Moses La ae lived on a spot below the Masonic hall. John Gile now owns
the place.
5. John Sargent, sr., gave his son, Jacob Sargeant all of the east part of his lot ex-
cept the acre on the corner which he had given his son John and built the
house where Abraham Barker resides. Dr. John Pillsbury and Stephen
Robinson also owned the place.
5. Theophilus Sargeant, a brother of John Sargeant, sr., owned the eighty acre lot
adjoining that of Enoch Rowell and lived in house which was demolished many
years ago.
6. Kphruim Oeorze bought of Dr. Natnaniel Wheat the gable-roofed house which
stood on the spot now covered by the residence of the late Albert Bean, near
the old Congregational meeting house and hauled it to a situation on the Theo-
philus Sargeant lot now owned by William Stanley. Among its recent owners
were John C. Wheeler and David Potter.
7. This house was hauled from the vilh.ge a few years ago. Mm. Eliza Libbee
was the first owner, Daniel Straw is the present owner.
8. Thomas Hobbs, a second cousin ot John Hobbs, came from Northampton,
Andrew Moore, John Moore, 3d, his sun, Coffin Moore, J. Wesley Lovejoy,
Samuel Myrick, heirs of Samuel Myrick.
9. John Moore, a soldiei of the Revolu ion, his son, Andrew Moore, Charles Bick-^
ford. Mr. Bickford tore down the old house and built a new one. By his will
he gave the place to the Congregational society. In 1892, John Khor, of Mel-
rose, Mass., bought the place for a summer residence.
10. Charles Weeks.
11. Benjamin Smith, Sr., one of the first settlers, Benjamin Smith, jr., Capt. John
Smith, son of Benjamin Smith, jr.
12. Robie Smith, son of Capt. John Smith, William Robinson, Mrs. William
Robinson.
13. French Smith, son of True Smith.
14. True Smith, son of Benjamin Smith, jr.
15. Samuel Bagley, Moses James, Oweu Reynolds, Daniel B.Robinson-. Willis
Patten bought it fur a tenement house many years ago. His son, John B-
Patteu is the present owner. Jesse E. Gile now resides oi the place.
16. Edward Morrill and John Dunn have owned and occupied the first house on
the road which turns to th3 left towards the village at the Inland.
17. Jonathan Smith, A. Bean Smith, Tristram Brown, Q. N. Robinson.
18. John Robinson, George Willey.
ISLAND VILLAGE (Going East).
No. 1. Oliver Aierrifield, Clara A. Jones and various tenants. Jacob Holt now owns
the place.
2. Daniel S. Robinson, Charles Robinson, Charles Joues.
3. Joseph Beane built the house for parties in his employ. Freeman Young was
an owner. S imuel Critchett is the present owner.
4. This house was built by David Beane, a son of l>ea. Abraham J'.eane, for the
accomodation of parties employed l>y him upod his farm. There have been
many tenants upon the place.
5. This house was built by David Beane for a store. The place came iuta the pos-
session of his heirs, Nathan Worthen, the next owner, Bradley Aldrich of
Manchester owned the place several years and sold it to Abraham Nelson.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 49'
(i. Dwid Berne's residence, John Beane, his 8)D, Elihu Chase, Frank Chase.
John Anderson is the preseDt owner.
7. Joseph Beane, son of Dea. Abraham Beane, built this home for a residence
many years ago. Christopher Champagne now owns the plate.
8. Dea. Gordon Beane, son of Dea. Abraham Beane, erectei this house ojoie than
fifty years ago. Loring Ladd owned the place a few years and sold it to Carl
Johnson, a Swede.
9. Dea. Abraham Beane, son of David Beane, sr., built the hou-e more than seven-
ty-five years ago. Cordon Beane resided there several years. Joseph Johnson
is the present owner.
10. Abraham Beane, 2d, owned this place many years. Dadiey Lougee was an
owner some time and conveyed the place to Frederick Lougee, the present
owner.
11. Near the east end of the street which leads to the Colcord Riad, John Glenson
built a dwelling house. The place is now owned by J. Tucker Dudley, Frank
Felton. •
12. Joseph H. Johnson.
CLARK HILL ROAD (Going North).
No. 1. Robert PatteD, who came from Chester, Wlllara Patten, Willis Patteu, George
F. Patten.
2. Theophilus Clark, Joseph Clark, Jesse Towle, Charles W. Towle, Henry Clark,
sr., Henry Clark, jr., nenry G. Clark, Henry 'Gould, Ezekiel A. Thompson,
John Eckford.
3. Beoj train VVadleigh, Emery Currier, Dr. J. O. Haines, Cyrus Prescoit, William
I Brown, Oscar Abbott, Luther S. Monroe.
COLCORD ROAD (Going East.)
Jeremiah Bean, Joseph Bean and Jonathan Bean, who were brothers, came
from Brentwood previous to 1760. They belonged to a different family of
Beans from those represented by David Beane, sr., Abraham Beane, sr.,
and Reuben Beane, who lived at the Island and vicinity.
No. 1. Jeremiah Bean bought more than 600 acres of land in the north part of
Candia, including the north section of Candia Village. He built a house
which stood a few rods north of the west end of the Colcord Road and
East of the road leading to Deerfield.
2. Josiah Bean, a son of Jeremiah Bean; a Mr. Brown was the next owner,
then Hosea Chase, John P. Smith, Levi Smith.
.'5. Hosea Chase, Thomas B. Dearborn, George W. Marden, widow of George
W. Marden.
4. Jeremiah Bean built this house. He was succeeded by his son, Benjamin
Bean. Betsey Glidden, Plumer Sanborn and Thomas McCarty have
owned the place.
5. Samuel Dearborn, sr., a brother of Thomas Dearborn, who was killed in
the war of the revolution, Moses Dearborn, Stephen M. Bean, Cyrus T-
Lane, George Goss and George Clark have owned the place.
6. Site of a house built by John Taylor, John Moore. Mr. Young, Frank
Richardson, Richard Blaisdell, Edmund R. Ingalls, John II. Moore.
7. A small cottage, built for tenants, by John Moore, Esq., James Burnham,
Adolphus Richardson.
8. Jonathan Melloon, Betsey Bean ami Phinehas Bean, John Bean, Ephraim
Davis, Mrs. Benjamin Perkins.
492 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
9. Samuel Colcord, jr., heirs of S. Colcord.
10. Moses Bean, Richard Bean, Samuel Fiak.
11. Moses Bean, W. Sargent Dearborn, Capt. Nathaniel Brown, Henry-
Brown, heirs of Henry Brown.
12. Reuben Bean, father of Elder Moses Bean, Elihu Chase, Amos Flint,
William Hudson.
13. Dudley Bean, a brother of Reuben Bean, Thomas R. Bean, Jesse D.
Bean.
14. John Warren Bean.
15. Ensign Samuel Colcord, Otis Colcord, Poor farm, J. Wesley Love
joy, Charles H. Parks, sr., Joseph Critchett.
16. John Gordon, Betsey Gordon, Isaac N. Critchett.
17. Oliver Gordon, Joseph M. Young, Joseph Kimball,
18. Jesse Bean, Charles H. Parks, Joseph Y'oung, heirs of Joseph Y'oung.
19. James Critchett, sr., the clock maker, Isaac and James Critchett, John
Critchett, Isaac N. Critchett, Gardner Sherburne, William Glidden.
20. J.Wesley Lovojoy, James Critchett, jr., Freeman P. Critchett.
21. James Critchett, sr., first built a log house a few rods north of the large
house, in which he lived many years.
i
THRESHER ROAD,
No. 1. Henry Thresher, Dana D. Thresher.
2. Nathan Bean, a son of Jonathan Beau, sr.
3. John Prescott, John Prescott, jr., Mrs. John Prescott.
4. Samuel Woodman, Stevens Colcord, Joseph Colcord.
CANDIA VILLAGE (Going North from the East End of the Burpee Road.}
N6. 1. Site of a house built by William Turner from Chester, who, according to
Chase's History of Chester, bought his lot in 1741. He had four children,
Saral), who was born in 1747, being the first white child born in Candia.
Moses, the third child had the homestead. Benjamin Dearborn was the
last owner of this house.
2. Site of a house built by Moses Turner, jr., near that which was owned by
his grandfather, William Turner. Gordon, his son, sold the place to
Benjamin Dearborn.
3. Benjamin Dearborn demolished both of tbem and built on a part of the
Turner farm further north. He sold it to Edmund R. Ingalls, and he to
William Bullard.
4. Thomas Dearborn, Thomas J. Morrill, Hiram Clark.
5. John Moore, Esq., built the house here about the year 1827. Jacob S.
Morrill.
6. Thomas Robinson, Parker M. Towle.
7. Alvin D. Dudley built the house in 1846. Dr. E. S. Carr, George Johnson.
Various tenants have lived on the place.
8. Plumer W. Sanborn, jr., Wesley Lovejoy, A. A. Whittredge, George W.
Mitchell and George W. Kimball, who traded in the building, occupied
the upper part as a residence.
9. Josiah Turner, David Richardson, Gilman Richardson, Joseph Richard-
son, David Clay, Joseph Dudley, who came from Raymond. The Free-
will Baptist Society bought the place for a parsonage.
10. Nicholas French, 2d, Samuel Tuck, Samuel Dudley Jason Godfrey, John
Starbird, a tailor from Northwood, John B. Richardson, jr., J. Roland
Batchelder.
11. Nehemiah Colby, Francis White, Thomas R. Bean, Frank Melloon.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 493
12. On the west side of the river, opposite the Freewill Baptist church, E. B.
Cheney, the clothier, built a large, two-story house seventy years ago.
It was owned by various parties, the last being John Moore, Esq., and
his heirs. It was torn down in 1889.
13. Smith Quimby built a house near the Cheney place. John Quimby is the
present owner.
14. David Bunker, a clothier, who came from Epping sixty-five years ago
or more built the large house next north of the Freewill Baptist church.
It was sold to William Turner and next to Samuel Dudley.
15. The dwelling house on the west side of the road and next to the grist
mill oe the north was owned by John Moore and his brother-in-law
Daniel Taylor. The lower part was used for a store and the upper part
for a residence. William Turner bought the place and traded there two
or three years and then sold the building to Samuel Dudley. In 1847
Dea. Dudley built a tenement block which connected his residence with
the building he bought of Turner. The latter building has been occupied
by tenants more than forty years. All of the buildings are now owned
by Joseph P. Dudley of Buffalo, N. Y.
16. On the east side of the street next the river E. B. Cheney first lived, Ben-
jamin Taylor.
17. Luther Parker, a butcher, owned the first house on the north side of the
river and east side of the road, Thomas Batchelder, heirs of Thomas
Batchelder.
18. The large house situated next north, of the grist mill was built by James
and Moses Critchett, the carriage makers and wheelwrights, more than
seventy-three years ago. Ira P. Godfrey, who came from Hampton fifty
years ago, added a tenement on the west of the house. James Critchett
jr., lived in the east part of the house many years. His widow now
owns the place.
19. Elder Moses Bean built the old, one-story house, next north of the
Critchett place. After Elder Bean left town, the place was sold to Judge
Butler of Deerfield. Many tenants lived there.
20. The house next north was originally Elder Bean's shoe manufactory. It
was changed to a dwelling house and Alfred Higley and Thomas Noyes
were owners. Joseph Taylor now owns the place.
21. Josiah Turner, Freeman Parker, the clothier, Henry Higley. Plumer
Batchelder, Henry Walker, Mrs. Henry Walker.
22. Alexander Gilchrist, a cabinet maker from Goffstown, Mrs. A. Gilchrist.
23. Phinehas Bean, son of Jonathan Bean, 2d, or Master Bean, as he was
often called.
24. Thomas Lang, the blacksmith, Edwin J. Godfrey.
25. Robert Moore, a saddler and harness maker, who came from Pembroke
Herbert Moore.
26. Elihu Chase and his son-in-law Carr B. Haines, who came from Maine,
J. Maeder Young, sr., Arthur Critchett.
27. Joseph Bean, one of the first settlers in the town, who came from
Brentwood, Daniel Bean, Bradley Bean, Bradley C. Bean.
1 28. William Turner, Jesse Bean, Jonathan Bean, David Richardson, William
Patten, Rev. George M. Stinchfield, Rev, Silas Green, Cyrus T. Lane.
29. Joel B. Smith, J. Tuttle Bean.
30. Jonathan Bean, Richard Bean, Josiah Turner, William Clark.
31. Amos Morrison, John M. Fitts.
32. Cornelius Reagan, heirs of Cornelius Rengan.
33. Cyrus G. Bradley, Peter Lane, Thomas J. Morrill.
34. T. Jefferson Griffin, heirs of T. J, Griffin.
35. Samuel G. Moore, John Sawyer.
4 94- HISTORY OK CANDIA.
36. Jonathan Bean, Betsey, willow of John Bean. The old house was torn
down and Oilman Richardson built a now one on the site. Merrill Jehn^.
son from Deerficld bought the place.
37. Oilman Richardson built a house a few rods above the old Bean house
in 1827. It was burned in 1850.
ROAD FROM THE VILLAGE TO THE DEPOT.
No. 1. Smith Quiuiby built the house ou the corner of the Burpee road. A
Mr. Carpenter bought the place and sold it to Lewis F. Buswell.
2. Peter Mooers, son of Dr. Samuel Mooers, lived on the place recemly owned by
William Patten. His house stood on the exact spot where Mr. Patten's was
erected.
3. William Patten was the son of Robert Patten. His estate is uow owned by the
heirs of his wife.
4. Henry Lovell w as the tiist owner of this place. The Freewill Baptist society
bought it for a parsonage in 1850. Rev. Mr. Stinehfield and Rev. Silas Green
each owned the place and the latter sold it to Ingalls Bunker, the present
owner.
5. John Sargeant, sr., was- the first settler here. In 180(3 he sold the place to Moses "
Colby, who came from Hawke, now Danville. He was succeeded by his son B
P. Cjtby. The place is nnv o vaed by Elbr;dg3 Sit irrUoa, s ki o; Thorn,
as Morrison.
6. Stephen Palmer came to Candia from Epping in 1763. After remaining here
a short time he removed to the North Road. John Wason, who came from
Chester, next owned the place and kept a store at the corner. After Mr. Wason
retired, Jonathan Pillsbury, sr., a brother of David and Abijah Pillsbury,
bought the eighty acre lot and also the most of the eighty acre lot on the oppo-
site side of the road upon which Enoch Rowell was the first settler. At a later
date, he gave to his son, John Pillsbury, a large part of tlie first n itned lot and
built the house Jonathan Fillsbury, sou of John Pillsbury, now owns.
7. Charles Turner, the town clerk, about eight years ago, bought an acre of land
which was a part of the first Jonathan Pillsbury estate.
8. Jonathan Pillsbury, 2d, once familiarly called 'Jock' Pillsbury, built a house on
a part of the lot on the west side of the road, which was given him by his
father, Jonathan Pillsbury, sr. Heirs of Jonathan Pillsbury. There have
been many tenants on the place.
9. Jonathan Pillsbury, sr., many years ago built a large and somewhat pretentious
house on the spot where the house of Dr. A. M. Foster is situated. Mary Pills-
bury, his daughter, lived there many years and died in 18(59 at nearly 90 years
of age. S. Tappan S:»nborn and Beojumin Sanborn, his son were his successors.
Dr. A. M. Foster.
10. Levi Barker, John H. Smith. Plumer YV. Sauborn built the house. He sold
the estate to Samuel F. Colcord, a son of Samuel Colcord, jr.
11. Upon a spot in the field a few rods north of Mr. Colcord's residence there is a
cellar over which there was a dwelling house which was built by Nathaniel
Maxfield, who owned a part of the eighty acre lot. He was a soldier of the
Revolution.
DEPOT Y'lLLAGE (Beginning at the South Side of the Colby Road).
No. 1. John W.Cate and T. Benton Turner own the cottage near the corner of the
Colby Road and the road between Candia Village and the Railroad station
which was erected for tenants.
2. Frank Lombard, who came fioin Manchester, bought of Nehemiah Colby his
old house and set it upon a lot which he purchased of Frederick Emerson.
George Greer of Goffstowp, Stephen Colby, who came from Fremont. J. W-
Cate and T. Benton Turner are the present owners.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 495
3. Perry Batchelder, a Brother of J. Roland Batchelder, Edward R. Fuller of
Lowell, Chiirles 8. Laug.
4. N. H. Martin, who came from Goffstown, Edwin L. Martin, Sjephen 8. Fifield.
•"). Charles Henry French.
6. Moses Dearborn of Raymond.
7. Robie Smith, Robie Smith's heirs.
8. John Rowe.
9. The hotel, Stephen B. Fitts, Barton Tilton, George W. Robinson, George W.
Whittier, Martin L. Buttertield, Timothy G. Fellows.
10. Edward P. Prescott, William G. Lang.
11. Samuel A. Davis, J. Wesley Lovejoy, James Critchett, Henry W. Moore
George X, Davis.
12. Jacob L. Barker, Mark A. Dexter.
13. Gilman C. Lang, Lewis Remo, Kidder Haynee.
14. Jesse Sargent, built a house next above the Kidder Haynes place, which was
burnt in 1881.
15. The house situated a few rods southwest of the saw mill was owned by Caleb
Davis. It is now owned by Samuel Gile.
STUMP 8TREET (Going West).
No. 1. The old passenger depot building was moved here by William Pettingill.
2. Jonathan Harvey Philbrick.
3. Moses B. Smith. Joseph Watson, Mrs. J. Watson.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
NATHANIEL EMERSON.
Colonel Nathaniel Emerson was the son ot Samuel Em-
erson, one of the first settlers and one of the most distin-
guished citizens of Chester. He was born in 1741, and
came to Candia about the year 1761, and settled on the spot
where Jouri W. Cate now resides. He married Sarah Til-
ton, and they had four sons and six daughters. Col. Em-
erson was several years an officer in the militia, when New
Hampshire was a province of Great Britian, and was com-
missioned Colonel of the 17th Regiment by Gov. Benning
Wentworth. In 1777, he was Lieut. Colonel of Col. Stick-
ney's regiment and fought in the memorable battle of Ben-
nington in April, 1777. In 1778, he served as Lieut. Colon-
el in Col. Nichols' regiment in Rhode Island, when the
American army was co-operating with the French fleet in
an attempt to expel the British forces from that province,-
as referred to on page 91 of this volume. The attack upon
the British army at that time was unsuccessful and Col.
Emerson soon afterwards returned to Candia. During the
whole period of the war of the Revolution he was a very
efficient member of the Committee of Safety. In 1782, he
served as a member of the convention which framed the first
State Constitution and in 1785 and 1786, he was a Repre-
sentative of the New Hampshire House of Representa-
tives. He was a member of the board of Selectmen sever-
al years. In 1786, he was chosen superintendent of the
work of building the first meeting house and was one of
the first members of the Congregational church in town.
He was for many years a surveyer of land and a Justice of
the Peace twenty-five years. He died, April 30, 1824.
496 W. CW»* H\ <w*«~i
,^~
^fljf
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 497
JOHN SARGEANT.
Captain John Sargeant, a son of Winthrop Sargeant and grand-
son of Ensign Sargeant of Chester, came to Candia in 1760, to
settle first on the place on South Road now owned by Gordon
Sherburne. He lived there several years, when he gave the
place to his son, Josiah, and bought of William Wilson the farm
■on South Road now belonging to Lewis Remo. He built the
house now standing on the place. He married Mary, a daugh-
ter of William Turner. They had three children, Sarah, who
'married Dea. Josiah Shannon, Josiah and Moses. The latter
first settled on the place on South Road now the property of
Frank Haselton. He was prominent in public affairs. Captain
John was a soldier in Captain Moses Baker's company. He was
present at the battles of Saratoga and Stillwater, and witnessed
the surrender of Burgoyne's army to Gen. Gates, the comman-
der of the Revolutionary army. He used to relate that some
of the British soldiers were so humiliated and enraged at the
surrender that they emptied their cartridges of powder and ball
upon the ground. Captain John said he thought it a good idea
to save some of the ammunition, so he took off his moccasins,
filled them with cartridges, tied them together with a string and
slung them over the back of a horse belonging to John Hills,
his neighbor who was also present at the battle, and they were
brought to Candia, Captain Hills having half of the spoils for
•bringing them to the town. Captain Sargeant served in other
campaigns during the war. He was a Captain of the militia
and was the first collector of taxes in town. He died in 1834,
aged 88 years.
CYRUS SARGEANT.
Mr. Sargeant was born August 24, 1824, at the place on
South Road now owned by Frank Haselton. His father,
Rufus Sargeant, was a son of Moses Sargeant and a grandson
of Captain John Sargeant. His mother, Ruth Wadleigh, a
•daughter of Benjamin Wadleigh, was a most excellent and
highly respected woman. Cyrus attended school in old Dis-
trict No. 3, and worked upon the farm in his earlier years.
32
49S HISTORY OF CANDIA.
When he was fifteen years old he was a clerk in William Dun-
can's store. The next year he went to Boston and found em-
ployment with Samuel Capen, a merchant on Drake's wharf.
In a few years he became a commission merchant, broker and
private banker. He invested his money in real estate in Boston
and retired fiom active business. In 1855, he married Sarah
J. Emerson of Boston, who died in 1859, leaving a daughter
Caroline. The last was educated at Vassar college and in
Europe. In May, 1883, she married Dr. Robert Burns of
Plymouth, where she and her husband now reside, having five
children. While Mr. Sargeant resided in Boston he took
advantage of the public libraries of that city and was a stock-
holder in the Atheneum. In 1862 he made an extended tour
through Europe, being away about three years. He spent
several months at Oxford, the seat of one of England's most
ancient and famous universities. At London he formed a
pleasant acquaintance with Charles Francis Adams, the
American Minister to the Court of St. James at that time.
At Paris, where he remained a considerable period, he met
William Dayton, the American Minister to that country, and
was presented to the Emperor Louis Napoleon and the
Empress Eugenie at the Tuileries. In 1873, Mr. Sargeant
married Mary E., daughter of James and Louisa McQuesten of
Plymouth. They had four children, two of whom died in in-
fancy. Cyrus, Jr., and Louisa are living with their parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Sargeant have traveled much in America and in
various parts of Europe. At Rome they were presented to
Pope Pius IX. Since the death of Mrs. Sargeant's parents
they have resided at the McQuesten homestead at Plymouth,
which was once the home of Nathaniel P. Rogers, the famous
abolitionist and one of the most original and brilliant writers
New Hampshire has produced. It was at this house that the
great anti-slavery orator and member of English Parliament,
George Thompson, found a refuge for a short time in 1835 after
he had been mobbed in various towns and cities in Massachu-
setts and driven out of Concord, this state, by many of the
leading citizens for daring to plead for justice for the down-
trodden slaves of the country. Mr. Sargeant is a modest,
unassuming, large-hearted and generous man and always willing
HISTORY OF CANDIA. /199
to aid in a good cause. He attends the Congregational
church. In 1890-92, he was elected a representative to the
legislature from Plymouth.
ABRAHAM EMERSON.
Hon. Abraham Emerson was a son of Moses Emerson, a
brother of Col. Nathaniel Emerson, a soldier of the Revolution.
He was born Sept. 14, 1800, and attended school in old District
No. 4. He assisted in the management of his father's farm
and kept school in various districts in town and elsewhere.
When his father died, in 1839, he had the homestead. In 1824,
he married Abigail Dolber. The following are the names of
their children : Sarah W., who married Dea. Edmund Hill,
John D., Daniel F , Moses F., Lydia A., who married Jesse W.
Sargeant, Luther W., Nancy Maria, who married Baxter R.
Brown, and one who died in infancy. Mr. Emerson was a
representative in 1836 and 1837 and a state senator from Dis-
trict No. 2, in 1846. He served as a selectman four years,
town clerk one year and treasurer two years. He was Captain
of the Candia Light Infantry, Major and Lieut. Color.el of the
Seventeenth Regiment. He was a member of the Congrega-
tional church from 1823 until his death and a member of the
Rockingham Lodge of Masons several years. He was a man
of great industry, good business capacity and was greatly inter-
ested in the cause of education. He was sincerely religious
without bigotry, and to the end of his days was an earnest
seeker for the highest and sublimest truths. He had a very
retentive memory and retained the use of his faculties to the
last, passing serenely away in the full confidence of awakening
in a higher and purer state of existence.
JOHN D. EMERSON.
Rev. John D. Emerson, the eldest son of Hon. Abraham
Emerson, was born May 29, 1829. He attended the public
school in old District No. 4 and a high school in Candia, and
was a pupil at Pembroke academy two years. He graduated
at Dartmouth College in 1853, after which he was principal of
Pembroke academy two years. He graduated at Andover
5°° HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Theological Seminary in 1858, and was soon afterwards settled
over the Congregational church at Haverhill, N. H., where he
remained until 1865, when he was settled over the Second Con-
gregational society at Biddeford, Me. In 1877, he was
engaged as minister at Underhill and Jericho, Vt.. and re-
mained there six years. In 1883, he returned to Biddeford,
and since that time he has been engaged in supplying pulpits
in that and other places. A considerable number of his
sermons, addresses and school reports have been published,
among which is an address befoie the alumni of Pembroke
academy in 1870, an address before the Maine Congregational
State Missionary society. He was married to Sarah J. Dudley
of Candia. They had a son, who now resides in Buffalo, N. Y.
Mrs. Emerson died in 1862. Mr. Emerson was married for a
second time to Mrs. Elizabeth Bell Emerson of Chelsea, Mass.
They had a sou and a daughter. The former, Rev. S. G.
Emerson, is now a preacher in California. His second wife
died in 1869. Mr- Emerson married for his third wife Miss
Lelia Frances Kendall. They have five children.
FRANCIS PATTEN.
Francis Patten was born in the house on Clark Hill now the
residence of George F. Patten, November 19, 1800. He was a
son of William Patten and when he was an infant he was adop-
ted by Mr. and Mrs. William Robie. He was educated at the
school in old District No. 4 and a. high school in the town. He
became a very popular teacher of schools in Candia and some
of the neighboring towns. He was a very active member of the
Candia Lyceum, which was organized in 1826. He was also a
member of Candia Literary Society, which established a good
library in town about the same time. He was Captain of Candia
Light Infantry and Major of the Seventeenth Regiment. He
held the office of selectman in 1829 and 1830; was a represen-
tative to the legislature in 1853 and 1854 and one of the
superintendents of schools several years. He joined the
Congregational church in 1823 and held the office of deacon
until his death. He married Rebecca Knight of Hancock
in 1833. They had five children, viz.: Keziah, who married
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 50 1
John D. Colby, Abigail, who married Moses F. Emerson, Wil-
liam R., who died in 18S6, Aaron Frank, who married Ella K.
Bachelder and Sarah, who married Charles A. Sykes. Mrs.
Patten the mother of the above named children, died in 1867.
Deacon Patten married second Mrs. Harriet Mitchell of Nash-
ua in 1869. Deacon Patten died in 1889, aejed 89.
JOHN T. MOORE.
John Taylor Moore, son of John Moore, Esq., was born in
Candia, in 1825. He received his early education at the dis-
trict school in the Village. In 1S50 he was a pupil at Gilman-
ton Academy three terms and in 1851-52, he attended the
Normal school at Merrimack, then in charge of William Rus-
sell. He studied law with Judge Chandler E. Potter and
Moses Norris at Manchester, three \ears, after which he
opened an office and soon had a gooo practice. He invested
his earnings in tenement property and other kinds of real es-
tate in the heart of the city, which in the course of time be-
came greatly increased in value. He has occupied an office in
Union Building near the city hall in Manchester continuously
since 1856, a period of about 37 years. Mr. Moore is a Dem-
ocrat, an independent thinker upon religious and all other
subjects and a man of generous impulses.
JOHN MOORE.
John Moore, Esq , was born in Pembroke, November 9,
1792. He settled in Candia in 18 18, and married Mary, a
daughter of John Taylor, in 1820. They had six children, viz.:
Mianda, John T., Henry W., Martha A., Albert D., and
Horatio G. C. Albert D., died in 1866, aged 30. Horatio
G. C, died in 1842, aged 6 years. Mr. Moore in connection
with his brother-in-law, Daniel Taylor, kept a store in the Vil-
lage in the east end of Dudley's tenement block, traded there
three or four years ar.d then sold out to William Turner. He
was for several years a manufacturer of carriages at the Village
and built the house recently owned by J icob S. Morrill. He
subsequently o.vned th» farm on the Coloord Road which had
p°2 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
belonged to his father-in law. About the year 1850, he bought
of William Turner the place at the Corner now owned by Hen-
ry W. Moore. He was a representative to the legislature in
1S33 and [834, moderator from 1834 to 1841, one of the board
of st tec! men 1S36, 1840, and 1841, 1842 and 1853, collector in
1S30 and 1832, one of the board of superintendents of schools
and a deputy shsriff and crier of the County courts
several years. He was also a Justice of the Peace
and officiated in trials of numerous cases. He was
Captain of the Lower Company cf Infantry several \ears and
was also an active member of the Union Baptist church and
society many yeais He was a man of a social disposition
and was highly re* pected by his fellow-townsmen. He died
in iSTq, aged 87.
FAMILY OF EPHRAIM EATON.
Ephraim Eaton came to Candia from Salisbury, Mass , in
1773, and bought a farm on South Road of Benjamin Batchel-
der. He married Abigail Perkins of Salisbury, who died leav-
ing one child, a daughter named after her mother. He married,
2d, Sarah Stevens of Salisbury, by whom he had five children
Molly, whc married Dr. Jacob b. Moore, Sarah, Henry, who
married Hannah, daughter of Maj. Jesse Eaton, by whom he
had ten children — Henry M., Charles E., Susan, Sarah, Mary
and Martha (twins), Hannah and Caroline — Hannah who mar-
ried Moses Patten and was the mother of three children — Moses,
Elizabeth and Daniel D — and Peter, who married Hannah H.,
daughter of Dea. E. H. Kelly, having three children — Ephraim
K., Mary J., and Francis B.
Henry M., the oldest child of Henry Eaton, was born in
1806 He worked upon his father's farm in his younger days
and attended school in old District No. 3. He taught school
several years. He was married to Eliza A. Parker, by whom
he had two children, Frederick P., who died at 14 years of age
and Ellen S. Mr. Eaton traded at the corner several years, and
on the death of his father, in 1855, he came into possession of
the old homestead. Mrs. Eaton died in i860. Mr. Eaton, like his
father and grandfather*, was a leading man in town and was much
■
GOV} F NEW HAMPSHIRE 186!
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HISTORY OK CANDIA. ^03
engaged in town business. He was selectman a number of
years, 'own clerk, a representative to the state legislature two
years and town agent for a considerable period. He was also
Captain of Candia Light Infantry. He was married a second
time to Miss Hannah G. Lane, who died in 1892. Mr. Eaton
was for many years a member of the Congregational church.
He died in 1SS6.
STEPHEN SMYTH.
Stephen Smyth was the son of Joseph Chase Smyth, who with
his three brothers, Oliver, Biley and Jonathan, came from
Brentwood to Candia about the year 1 77 1, and settled on North
Road near Hall's mountain. Stephen was one of the family of
eight children, Abigail, Joseph Chase, Stephen, Betsy, Mary,
Jesse, Sally, Mehitable. He bought the place on North road now
■owned by Jonathan Martin and married Dorothy, daughter of
Isaiah Rowe, a soldier of the Revolution. They had five children
■Gi'.man C, Sarah, Frederick, Sophia and Abraham Calvin. In
1828, Mr. Smyth sold his place and moved to that now in the
possession of William S. Healey on the Burpee road. In 1833,
he bought of Rev. A. Wheeler the farm on North Road now
owned by the heirs of Mrs. Thomas Morse. In 1841, he re-
moved to Manchester. He was a member of the Con°re°:a-
tional church in Candia and a member of the First Con°:re2:a-
tional church in Manchester. He died in 1866. Mrs. Dorothy
Smyth, who was a woman of good natural abilities, was also a
member of the Congregational church. She was an invalid
■several years and died Aug. 2, 1852, aged 66 years.
FREDERICK SMYTH.
Hon. Frederick Smyth, the second son of Stephen and Doro-
thy (Rowe) Smyth, was born March 9th, 1819, in the house on
North Road in Candia, since owned many years by Jona-
than Martin, Esq., and formerly by Frederick's great-grand-
father. In his early boyhood he attended school in the school-
ihouse in old District No. 8, built more than one hundred years
ago, but is still standing and owned by him, religious services
504 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
being held there on Sundays. When, at a later date, his father
moved to the Burpee road he attended school in old District No.
2. In 1837-38, he taught district schools in Auburn and Hooksett,.
and attended the following jear the English Seminary, Andover,
Mass., Rev. Dr. Coleman teacher. In the Spring of 1840, he
became a clerk for George Porter, who kept with one or
two exceptions, the only store on Elm street in Manchester at
that time. Three years after he formed a partnership with
John Porter, a brother to George. In 1844, he was married to-
Miss Emma Lane, a daughter of John Lane, Esq., ot Candia.
She was a woman of great personal beauty, singularly lively and
happy in her disposition and considerate to all.
In 1849-50-51 he was elected city clerk of Manchester and held
that office 3 years, was elected mayor in 1852-53-54, and then in
1864, his last election having been made irrespective of party
ties and substantially unanimous. During his administration as
Mayor of Manchester all that portion of the city across the river,,
previously belonging to Bedford and Goffstown, was annexed at
his urgent solicitation and personal appeals to the legislature.
The setting of most of the uees on Merrimack, Concord and
1 remont Squares and Elm street was inspired by him, and
many of them were transplanted from the country by his own
hands. The supply of water for the city, the acquisition of
Pine Grove cemetery and many other important improvements.
were urged by him in his inaugural addresses. In 1855, Gov>
Metcalf appointed him chairman of a board of commissioners.
to locate and erect buildings for a House for Reformation of
juvenile offenders. He was cashier of the Merrimack River
Bank of Manchester from 1855 to 1865, and held the same
position when the institution became the Eirst National Bank
of Manchester. He resigned that office in 1884 to become its
president, which position he still occupies. When the Merri-
mack River Savings Bank was chartered in 1858, he was chosen
trustee and treasurer, which positions he still holds and is also
its president.
Following his success as mayor of Manchester, the Republi-
can party nominated him as its candidate for governor in 1865,
electing him by the largest vote which had been thrown for many-
years. He was re-elected in 1866 by a large majority. While
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 505
governor he provided for the immense war debt which had
been contracted, some of it at a rate of 12 per cent, interest by
funding it at 6 per cent. He personally received as the
chief magistrate the remnants of nearly every regiment on their
return from the war, welcoming them home, thanking them for
their services in behalf of the state, and taking the blood-stained
battle-flags and depositing them in the state's archives.
Urged by many of the papers to accept a third nomination he
firmly declined.
During the war he visited the battle-fields of Gettysburg,
Fredericksburg, Spottsylvania and many others, caring for the
New Hampshire wounded, saving many lives by his care and
carrying in his arms some of the disabled soldiers from the
battle field to the hospital. In 1866, he was appointed by con-
gress a member of the Board of Managers for the National
Homes of Disabled Soldiers, his associates being the President
of the United States, the Secretary of War, Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court and a member from each of the states of Ohio,
New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire,
Gen. 13. F. Butler beinj; president. He held this office for 14
\ears, and was also auditor of accounts for the several Homes
of Augusta, Me., Dayton, Ohio, Milwaukee, Wis., and Hamp-
ton, Va He served, too, on the committee to purchase sites
and build all these Homes.
He was for many years closely identified with the agricultural
interests of the country and served as treasurer of the New
Hampshire Agricultural society from 1851 to 1861, and its
president from 1866 to 1868. He wa.- instrumental, with Hon.
Geo. W. Nesmith, president of the society, in procuring Hon
Daniel Webster, Hon. Edward Everett, Hon. Marshall P.
Wilder and Hon. John M. Botts of Va. as orators atthe various
state fairs in Manchester. He was a trustee of the United
States Agricultural society, Marshall P. Wilder president, from
1S57 to 1871, and was a joint manager of its exhibitions at
Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Richmond and Phila-
delphia. He is now a vice-president of the U. S. Horticultural
society.
Upon the organization of the State Orphan's Home at
Franklin, on the Webster farm, he was elected trustee and vice-
506 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
president, and on the death of its president, Hon. G:orge W.
Nesmith, he was chosen 10 that position which he still holds.
During the last 20 years he has been director of the Concord
Railroad and the last 10 years its president. During his admin-
istration the B. C. & M. has been consolidated with the Con-
cord R. R. and is now the Concord & Montreal, of which he is
a diiector am! its president. The following branches and
extensions have also been built : The Lake Shore R. R.
from Laconia to Alton, the Beimont Branch from Ti'ton to
Belmont, the extension of the Suncook Valley from Pittsf:eld
to Barnstead, the New Boston from Goffstown, the Tilton-
Franklin extension, the Whitefield < xtension from Whitefield to
Berlin, the Bethlehem and Profile R. K. acquired ; and the fine
passenger and freight station built at Concord. He is a direc-
tor of the Suncook Valley, Boston & Acton, New Boston branch,
Suncook Valley extension and other railroads.
He has traveled extensively in countries of both hemispheres.
In 1862, he visited England as a U. S. commissioner at the great
International Exhibition at London, ai that time extending his
trip to France. Italy, Germany, Holland and Belgium. In 1878,
he was a U. S. Commissioner at the great International exhibi-
tion at Paris, and after ending his duties there, in company with
his wife, journeyed through rrary of the countries of Europe
Asia, Africa, including Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Pales-
tine. In 1882, Mr. and Mis. Smyth made a second tour of
these countries, going by way of Spain, and making a trip up
the Nile. In 1884, Mr. Smyth was afflicted by the death of
his wife, who had cheered and encouraged him throughout their
wedded life of forty years.
Governor Smyth is a man of untiring industry and perse-
verance, combined with great foresight and sound, practical
judgment. With these endowments he has been able to dis-
charge the duties to which he has been called with signal ability
and satisfaction. He has been a member of the Franklin St.
church and society of Manchester for many \ears and has held
the office of president of the society for ten years.
In 1886, he was married to Miss Marion Cossar, who was
born near the town of Lanark, Scot'and, and who came to this
country with her parents at the age of 10. The marriage cere-
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 507
mony was performed at the home of the bride's grandfather, in
Scotland, whither she had gone on a visit, by Rev. Dr. Wilson,
who had journeyed with Mi, Smyth up the Nile years before.
She is a woman of excellent natural abilities and unassuming
manners. In 1888, Gov. Smyth and his wife visited many
■of the principal places in Great Britain and countries of
Northern Europe, among them Sweden, Norway and Russia. A
year later they traveled through Mexico, and in 1S90, again
visited England and Scotland, sailing to the North Cape, where
they beheld the splendors of the midnight sun. In 1891, they
went to California, Washington and Alaska. Then, in 1892,
they once more visited the Old World, going as far south as
Switzerland and Italy, this being Mr. Smyth's fourth visit
to these countries. Amid the varying scenes and situations of
of his busy lite he has always cherished a warm interest in his
native town and the welfare of its people, nothing giving him
greater pleasure than to visit the places of his childhood and to
.greet the surviving friends of his early days.
JOSEPH P. DUDLEY.
Joseph P. Dudley, son of Dea. Samuel Dudley, was born
"Nov. 21. 1832. He attended school at the Village and was a
pupil at Pembroke Academy several terms. He assisted his
father in the management of his store and shoe manufacturing
several years. He held the rank of Major on the staff of Gen.
Richard D. Sanborn, commander of the Third Brigade. In
^858, he settled in the city of Buffalo, N. Y., and was connected
with an iron foundry in that place. In 1861, he engaged in the
■business of manufacturing kerosene from crude petroleum,
which had then been recently discovered in large quantities in
Pennsylvania and other localities near Buffalo. He organized
"the great company called Empire Oil works, 2nd the bu-%iness
•became very profitable. In 1877, tne company was consolidated
with the Star Oil works and Major Dudley was placed at the
head of the organization, the business of which amounts to mil-
lions of dollars annually and extends through New York state,
•the Provinces, England and elsewhere. Major Dudley, who is
wery popular with all classes in that city, is one of the most
508 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
successful men in Buffalo. He has been connected with the
Lafayette Presbyterian church of that place and is specially-
distinguished for efforts to raise the standard of music. He
was married to Miss Mary Folsom Underhill'in 1854. She died,
in 1 89 1.
SAMUEL DUDLEY.
Deacon Samuel Dudley was the son of Joseph Dudley of
Raymond, and was born in that town May 5, 1796. He came to
Candia in 18 12 and learned the trades of tanner and shoemaker
of Elder Moses Bean. A few years later he established himself
in the business of tanning and shoemaking. His business
increased from year to year, until at length a large
number of the people of the town were in his employ. He
was married to Judith, daughter of David Pillsbury, Oct. nr
1819. The following are the names of their children who lived
to grow up, there being six others who died in infancy : S.irah,
Jr, born in 1826, married Rev. John D. Emerson, and died Sept.
15, 1862 ; Joseph P. who was born in 1S32 ; David B., born-
March 19, 1838, and was killed in the battle of Antietam*
Woodbury J., born 1834. Mrs. Dudley died Sept. 18, 1838..
Dea. Dudley was married 2d, to Mi^s Sally Marston.
WOODBURY J. DUDLEY.
Woodbury J. Dudley, a son of Dea. Samuel Dudley, was borrr
Aug. 25, 1834. After attending the school in the Village he-
became a pupil at Atkinson academy He was employed in.-,
his father's store for some time and in 1857 he came into pos-
session of the business. He has been a trader at the old stand
constantly ever since. He has been Town Clerk three years,
Superintendent of the schools two years and Justice of the
Peace 30 years. He has been a member of the Free Will Bap-
tist church for 40 years ; clerk of the church and a trustee of
the F. W.1 Baptist society 25 years, Secretary of the Christian
Association 20 years and clerk of the Rockingham Quarterly
meeting 10 years. He was married Oct. 21, 1857, to Miss.
Amanda Stevens of Duanesburg, N. Y., who died July 26, 1876*..
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 509
They had two daughters, Mary J. and Sara J. Both are gra-
duates of Wellesley College. Mary has been a teacher three
years at the Maine Central Institue and three years in Minne-
sota. Sara taught three years at the Franklin school in Phila-
delphia and several years at the Upton school in Canandaigua,
N. Y. Both of the young women have visited Europe and passed
several months at Berlin in Germany, and in Paris.
In 1877, December 18, Mr. Dudley was married to Emily
ILibbey, a daughter of Rev. C O. Libbey of Dover.
FRANCIS B. EATON.
Francis B. Eaton, son of Peter Eaton and Hannah Hale
Kelly, was born at Candia Feb. 26, 1825. He was educated
at the common and high schools in Candia and at Pembroke
and New Boston Academies. In 1852, he wrote and published
"History of Candia once known as Charmingfare, with Notices
•of Some of the Early Families." Was assistant editor and
Washington correspondent of the Manchester Daily American
1853-54. He married Lucretia, daughter of John Lane, Esq.,
Jan. 1, 1854. The following year he became Librarian of the
Manchester City Library, filling that position 10 years, during
which time he was a frequent writer for the Daily Mirror and
correspondent for the Boston Traveller. From Dec, i86i,to
Jan. 1, 1863, he was editor and proprietor of the New Hamp-
shire Journal of Agriculture, which was merged in the Mirror
and Farmer. In 1864, the Boston Daily Advertiser having sent
one of its staff to the front, Mr. Eaton took his place in the
office until the end of the war, when he became an assistant
editor on the Boston Journal. From 1866 to 1869 he was in
the employ of the Customs Department stationed at Montreal
and Portland, Me. Then, returning to Manchester, he followed
the business of bookseller for n years. At present he is a
■director of the First National Bank and vice-president of the
Merrimack River Savings Bank. He was also the principal
•editor and compiler of the sketches of the life and public ser-
vices of ex-Gov. Smyth printed for private circulation in 1885,
the Hon. Ben : Perley Poore contributing some personal remi-
niscences.
5IO HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Mr. Eaton was for some years a director of the Franklin Street
society, and clerk of the church in which he now hold? the
office of deacon.
JOSEPH C LANGFORD.
Joseph C. Lang-ford was born in Portsmouth, January 11,.
1804. He was the son of Dea. Anthony Lang-ford, a native
England, and was one of a family of nine children, two of
whom died in infancy. He came to Candia with his father
in 1820. He was married to Abigail Patten, a daughter of
William Patten, Nov. 30, 1826. She died Sept. 15, 1827,
leaving one son, who died at six years of age. Mr. Langford
was married a second time to Miss Pluma Howe of
Concord, Oct. 7, 1833. They had six children, Harriet, who
married Henry Hubbard, Martha, who married Walter S.
Holbrook, Francis P., who married Lavina Dearborn,
Elizabeth, who married W. H. Thompson, Anna, who.
married Frank B. Lovering, and Joseph who married
Emma L. Keyes of Raymond. Mr. Langford was a
trader in a store at East Candia several years, having-
succeeded Abel Follansbee. He was also a successful
farmer. He was a member of the board of selectmen 1846,
1847, 1866 and 1867, and was a representative to the legis-
lature in 1847 and 1848. He was an active member of the
Congregational church many years, and was highly*
esteemed by his fellow townsmen as a man of good intelli-
gence and an upright and public spirited citizen. He died
Jan. 19, 1880, aged 76 years.
JOHN BROWN.
John Brown was born March 1, 18 12, in the old Fitts
mansion at East Candia, now owned by J. Munroe Fitts.
He was a son of Jeremiah Brown, a grandson of William
Brown and a great-grandson of Nehemiah Brown, who came
to Candia from Kensington in 1765, and settled on the lot
now owned by the heirs of Major Nathan Brown. His
mother, Abigail Clifford, was a daughter ot Jacob Clifford.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 5 1 I
Both of his parents died before he was fourteen years of
age. He attended school in district No. 12, and grew up
to he a man of excellent habits and good business capaci-
ties. He married Mary W., a ■ daughter of Dea.
Anthony Langford. They had two children, who died in
infancy. During their wedded life of more than 40 years,
they furnished a home for eight orphan children, the most
of whom were cared for until they were able to care for
themselves, were given a good education and were
instructed in the principles of morality and religion. Mr.
Brown was a farmer and for several years was engaged in
the business of coopering and shoemaking. By perseverance
and economy he accumulated a fortune of $20,000. He was
a Republican in politics and represented the town in the
legislature in 1 86 1 and 1862. He was an active member of
the Congregational church and greatly aided in sustaining
religious meetings at East Candia. He was a member of
Leola Lodge of Odd Fellows. He died in 1890, leaving the
Congregational society a legacy of $6000.
SAMUEL MORRILL.
Samuel Morrill is the son of Samuel Morrill, 2d, and a
grandson of Samuel Morrill, sr. , Esq., who was one of the
seven soldiers from Candia who fought in the memorable
battle of Bunker Hill. He was severely wounded in that
action, as has been stated elsewhere in this work. The
mother of Samuel Morrill, 3d, the subject of this sketch,
was Lydia Rowe, one of the children of Isaiah Rowe, a
soldier of the Revolution. He was born March 9th, 1809,
in the large two-story house on High Street, which was the
residence of his father and grandfather, and is now owned
by Harrison Brown. In 1837, he married Mianda, daughter
of William and Lydia Short. They had three children, Henry
Robie, Charles Francis, and Josiah Short Morrill. The
latter, who was for sometime a clerk in the First National
Bank of Manchester, died in 1874. He was a very amiable
and promising young man. He was graduated at Wesleyan
University at Middletown, Conn., in i860. He studied law
512 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and was a practitioner at Litchfield, and Waferbury, Conn.,
and was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas several years.
He married Anna B., a daughter of Stevens Coicord, in
187 1. She died in 1875. Henry R. Morrill died July 12,
1883, aged 43-
Mr. Samuel Morrill is a man of sound sense and greatly
interested in the public welfare, but has never cherished
any ambition for office, following contentedly the vocation
of farming. Both himself and wife are sincerely religious
in their natures and have belonged to the Congregational
church many years.
CHARLES F. MORRILL.
Charles F. Morrill, the second son of Samuel Morrill, 3d,
and Mianda (Short) Morrill, was born May 6, 1847. His
early education was obtained in the old district school No.
5 on High Street, after which he attended the public schools
of Lowell, Mass., and the academies of New Ipswich and
Pembroke. He taught district schools in Pembroke two
terms and the high school in Candia several terms with
marked success. In 1870, he was chosen principal of the
grammar school in Amoskeag district in Manchester, and
held the position about three years. In 1873, he became a
clerk, then a teller and in 1884, cashier in the First National
Bank of Manchester, retaining that situation until 1892,
when he retired to accept the office of .cashier of the Bank
of the Commonwealth, and soon after he was chosen
treasurer of the Derry field Savings Bank. In 1881, he was
elected a member of the Common Council from ward 1 of
Manchester. He was appointed treasurer of the People's
Fire Ins. Co. in 1885. Mr. Morrill has a very active tem-
perament, is genial and social in his nature and is regarded
as one of the most popular and successful business young
men of Manchester. He was married in 1882 to Miss Hattie
S., daughter of the late Oliver Tozer of Manchester. They
have a daughter, Marguerite, who was born in 1883.
SAMUEL C. BEANE
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 513
JAMES H. FITTS.
Rev. James H. Fitts was born in Candia, March 3, 1829. He
is a son John Fitts, a grandson of Reuben Fitts and a great-
•grandson of Abraham Fitts, an officer in the war of the Revo-
lution. His mother was Abigail, a daughter of John Lane, a
a distinguished citizen of Candia, who came to the town from
Poplin in 1773. He attended the common and high schools in
'Candia and the academies at Pembroke, Reed's Ferry in Merri-
mack and Lancaster, Mass. He taught high schools in Candia,
Manchester, Deerfield and Pelham and in Quincy and Ashby,
Mass. He graduated from the Theological Seminary at Bangor,
Me., in 1858, and was ordained as an Evangelist at the Con-
gregational church in Candia, 1859. He was pastor of churches
In Roxbury, West Boylston and Topsfield, Mass., four, nine
-and ten years. He was settled over a church in South New
Market in 1880, and still holds that position. Mr. Fitts is a
■member of the New Hampshire Historical society, and has
published several historical pamphlets relating to the Fitts and
Lane families. He has also prepared and delivered several
centennial addresses, as referred to elsewhere in this work. He
was married to Miss Celina French, a daughter of Dea. Coffin
M. French, Jan. 1, 1862.
SAMUEL C. BEANE.
. Rev. Samuel C. Beane was born in that part of Candia
called the Island, Dec. 9, 1835. His father, Joseph Beane,
was a son of Dea. Abraham Beane, and a grandson of David
Beane, sr., who came to Raymond in 1752 and from thence to
Candia a few years later. His mother, Lydia Collins,
was a daughter of Col. Samuel Collins of Deerfield.
He prepared for college at Pembroke Academy, Phillips'
Academy, Exeter, and Andover, Mass., to graduate from Dart-
mouth college in 1858, and at the Divinity School connected
with Harvard University in 1861. During the same year he
was settled over the Unitarian church at Chicopee, Mass. In
1865, he was settled over the Second church at Salem, Mass.,
33
514 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
and from 1878 to 1885 he was pastor of the Unitarian church
at Concord. He was then appointed Superintendent of
the American Unitarian association for Northern New
England, and held that position until 1888, when he
became the pastor of the First Religious society (Unitarian) in
Newburyport, Mass. In all these responsible positions Mr.
Beane has sustained the reputation of being an able, earnest
and instructive preacher. He has contributed to some of the
popular magazines of the country, and has published several
pamphlets. He was married first to Miss Caroline B. Turner
of Stowe, Mass., May 22, 1862. His second wife was Miss
Harriet C. Gray of Salem, Mass., to whom he was married Jan.
7, 1869. They have two children.
AARON G. WHITTIER.
Aaron G. Whittier was born in 1835. His father was a native
of Candia and resided several years on the Abbott road. His
mother, Hannah Heath, was a daughter of Asa Heath of East
Candia. His grandfather, Daniel Whittier, was a soldier of
the Revolution and lived for many years on the Patten road.
Josiah Whittier, the father of Aaron G., was a scldier
of 18 12, and was in the battle of Plattsburg. Aaron was
educated' in Tilton and New London Academies. In 1855, ne
married Miss Amanda Lang, a daughter of David Lang of
Candia. They had five children, three of whom died young, and
two, David W., born July 4, 1864, ar>d Aaron Byron, born April
10, 1876, are now living. Mr. Whittier moved to Raymond in
1865 and became an active business man in that place, being
for several years a trader at the village. During the last few
years he has been engaged in the lumber business and farming.
He represented the town in the state legislature in 1881, and
took an active part in the proceedings of that body, proving
himself to be a speaker and debater of no mean ability. Mr.
Whittier has been a member of Juniata lodge of Odd Fellows
for 25 years and for some years a charter member of Granite
Encampment. He has passed the chairs in both branches of
the order, and is also a Past Master Noble Grand in Alfarata
Rebekah lodge.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 515
ANDREW J. EDGERLEY.
Andrew J. Edgerley was born in Greenland, Nov. 21, 1842.
He is a son of James B. Edgerley. His mother was a daugh-
ter of Levi Rowe of Hooksett. When he was sixteen years
old his parents moved to Deerfield and kept a tavern at the
Centre one year. They then moved to a farm in Pembroke.
Andrew attended the academy in that town and the gymnasium
several terms. In 1S64, he was married to Miss Julia Rand
of Deerfield. Two years later he bought of Leonard Dear-
born the place on High Street now owned by George Smith.
Three years after he sold the place and bought of Dea. Osgood
Page the homestead now the property of Thomas Clow. His
wife died in 18S6. In 1888, he sold his place and bought the
farm on the Patten road at present owned by David B. Miller,
and during the same year he married Miss Flora L., a daughter
of Ansel Emerson. In 189 1, Mr. Edgerley again sold his
homestead and moved to Manchester. He held the office of
moderator in Candia nine years, was a member of the board of
selectmen twelve years and a representative to the legislature
in 1880-81.
JACOB S. HOLT.
Jacob S. Holt was born in Bethel, Maine, April 29, 1848.
In 1872, he was married to Miss Lucy A. E. Cross of Albany,
in that state. She was a graduate of the State Normal school
at Farmington, Me., and became a successful teacher. Mr.
and Mrs. Holt came to Raymond in 1873, and after residing a
few months in that town removed to Lynn, Mass. In
1886, they came to East Candia and he engaged in the shoe
business. Five years later he erected a fine, large shoe
manufactory and has been quite successful in the business.
While a resident of Lynn he was an active member of the
order of Odd Fellows and Mrs. Holt became prominent in the
Rebekah lodge. She was a Past Noble Grand of Beulah
lodge, No. 3, of Lynn, Mass., and was one of the Past Lady
District Deputies in New Hampshire. It was through the
influence of Mr. and Mrs. Holt that a Rebekah lodge was
5 16 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
established in this state. In 1888, Mr. Holt was one of the
selectmen of Candia, and he is regarded as an energetic,
successful business man. He owns a farm on the Langford
road.
FRANK P. BROWN.
Frank P. Brown was born in East Candia, in 1S52. He is a
son of Jeremiah Brown, a grandson of James Leavitt Brown, a
great-grandson of William Brown and a great-great-grandson
of Nehemiah Brown, one of the first settlers on North Road.
His mother was Caroline, a daughter of Ichabod Cass. He
attended the public school at East Candia and the high school
at Raymond. When he was sixteen years old he became a
clerk in J. L. Barker's store at the Depot Village. In 1S73,
he formed a partnership with Lewis H. Dearborn and they
opened a store in East Candia, opposite the school house.
After a few months Frank bought out his partner, and did
such a flourishing business for about six years that he built a
new and larger store. In 1885, he was appointed postmaster
at the Depot Village and opened a new store at that place,
though continuing his trade at East Candia. After two years
he sold his store at the Depot Village and gave his whole
attention to his business at East Candia. He was a represen-
tative to the legislature in 1879-80, was a selectman in 1878-79
and town treasurer in 1892. He was married in iS7^ to Miss
Rosa M. Lakin of Sanbornton. They have three children,
two sons and a daughter. He is a member of the Rocking-
ham lodge of Masons and of the Juniata lodge of Odd Fellows.
COFFIN M. FRENCH.
Coffin Moore French, son of John and Comfort (Moore)
French was born April 6, 1879. He married Dec. 8, 1825,
Dolly, daughter of Samuel Pillsbury of Sandown, who was born
March 22, 1799, They had children as follows :
1. — John Pillsbury born Sept. 14, 1826, married Edie Knight
of Atkinson, June 29, 1861, who died July 18, 1863. Second
•marriage, Mary Elizabeth Craig of Worcester, Mass., Sept. 28,
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 5 1 7.
188 1. He is a farmer and lives on the homestead. He was
chosen deacon of the Congregational church in 1874, during
the pastorate of Rev. Geo. E. Lovejoy. 2. — Mary Celina, born
May 6, 1832 ; married Rev. James Hill Fitts, Jan. 18, 1862.
3. — Samuel Franklin, born Dec. 22, 1835 ; married Martha
Jane Upton of Andover, Mass.. Dec. 22, 1864. 4. — George
Henr), born July 27, 1S38 ; married Fannie E. Kilburn, of
Worcester, Mass.. Sept. 28. 187 1. (See professional history).
Mr. French was chosen deacon of the Congregational church
in 185 1, during the pastorate of Rev. William Murdock, and
resigned in 1873. He was selectman in 183 1-185 1-52 and
Colonel of the 17th Regiment several years, about 1830. He
died Dec. 15, 18S1, surviving his wife two years.
THOMAS LANG, JR.
Thomas Lang, Jr., was born in Candia Village Dec. 22,
1828, and learned his father's trade of blacksmithing. Desir-
ous of larger opportunities he entered a commercial school in
Boston, and soon after obtained a situation as bookkeeper in
Natick, Mass. Upon the close of this engagement, in March,
1854, he found employment in Boston with the firm of Con-
verse & Robson. This firm soon dissolving and Mr. Converse
becoming the treasurer of what is now the Boston Rubber
Shoe company, he continued in the service of the latter for
thirty-four years, being for twenty-five years clerk and cashier
of the corporation., during which time it grew from the occu-
pancy of one small wooden building to two substantially built
and extensive plants, and from an annual business of $50,000
to upwards of $6,000,000. In July, 1859, Mr. Lang married
Malvina Stanton of Manchester and fixed his home in Maiden,
Mass., where he has served as trustee and treasurer of the
Public library for thirteen years. He was clerk of the Trini-
tarian Congregational society for seven years, and he is at
present auditor for the society, the church, and also for the
Boston Belting company.
He is a man of studious habits, a great reader, and has a
fine library at his pleasant residence on Mountain avenue.
He is an amateur artist of considerable talent, and has
numerous sketches in black and white and water color of the
518 HTSTORY OF CANDIA.
Maine lakes and mountain scenery in his native state, where,
with the exception of one European tour, he has sought re-
laxation from his business cares when opportunity permitted.
J. LANE FITTS.
Mr. Fitts was born in Candia, Dec. 8, 1834, and is the son of
John and Abigail (Lane) Fitts. He was one of the first to
respond to the call of 300,000 men by President Lincoln, to
become a soldier in the Second Regiment N. H. Volunteers,
as mentioned elsewhere in this history, and served his country
three years, seeing much hard fighting. Having received a good
English education, he has taught school, been a selectman of
the town, justice of the peace, and licenced surveyor of lands.
He was married to Augusta J., daughter of Jesse Smith, and
they live on the old homestead on High Street.
GEORGE HALL.
George Hall, a son of Obededom Hall, 2d, and Rebecca
(McClary) Hall, was born in 18 17. He was the youngest of a
family of three sons and one daughter, Obed, Orrin, Rebecca
and George, His grandfather, Obededom Hall, sr., came to
Candia from Chester, in 1766, and settled on the North Road
at its junction with the cross road that extends from High
Street to Deerfield. At that time this part of the town was an
unbroken wilderness. The subject of this sketch attended school
in old District No. S on Walnut hill. In 1840, he went to
Manchester, and became a partner with Thomas R. Hubbard in
the manufacture of sashes, blinds and doors. The business was
very succesful. In I867, he removed to Chicago and became
a dealer in building materials. In the meantime he bought
large tracts of land in the outlying districts of the city,
which he eventually sold at a very large profit. He was married,
1838, to Miss Priscilla Wheeler of South Royalton, Vt. They
had three children, Eddie, who died in infancy, Ella and
Carrie, who died in 1865. Ella was married to Thomas Whitfield
in 1866. They had one daughter, Lottie, who resides in the
West. Mr. Hall was a man of good business talent and a
prominent and highly respected citizen of Chicago. He died
in 1883, and his wife in 1887.
ALBERT PALMER.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 519
PHILIP A. BUTLER.
Philip A. Butler, son of Charles H. and Rebecca Butler, was
born in Candia, in 1829. His father, an industrious and skill-
ful mechanic, was a good tenor singer and led the choir in the
Congregational church several years, teaching singing school
occasionally. About 1838, the family removed to Amesbury,
Mass., where they resided many years next door to the cottage
of the poet Whittier. At the age of 17, Philip, who had been
employed in a cotton mill since living in Amesbury, began his
apprenticeship with Mr. Rowell, a portrait painter of Lawrence,
with whom he continued four years. He then began business
for himself as a fresco painter with quite a degree of success,
until in later years he has done a very extensive business in
the interior decoration of churches and private residences. His
artistic tastes, however, have led him into the more congenial
field of landscape painting. He has found many subjects for
his pencil in the home of his childhood. In search of the pic-
turesque he spent a year in California, and has made one
European tour, with special regard to the picture galleries of
the Old World. He is a member of the Boston Art club, where
some of his best work may be found. Mr. Butler is married
and has a pleasant home In Auburndale, Mass., with a studio
and business office in Boston.
ALBERT PALMER.
Hon. Albert Palmer, the seventh child of Joseph and
Nabbie Palmer, was born in Candia, January 17, 1831. He
received his earlier education in his native town, attending the
school in district No. 4, and prepared for college at Kimball
Union academy, Meriden, and at Phillips' academy, Andover,
Mass. He graduated at Dartmouth college in 1858, and was
soon after elected a tutor of the college, but declined the
election. Going to Boston, he became a teacher in the Boston
Latin school, where he taught until i8669 when he withdrew to
•devote himself to the interests of the partnership which he had
previously formed for the prosecution of the ice business with
his boyhood friend, Mr. Nathan B. Prescott. From this time
520 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
he was actively engaged in business affairs, chiefly in the ice
business, being at the time of his death the president of the.
Jamaica Pond Ice company, the successor to his old partner-
ship. Mr. Palmer took an earnest interest in politics, and'
represented the Roxbury district of the city in the lower house-
of the Massachusetts legislature in the years 1872-73-74, and
in the senate in 1S75-76-78-79. In 1882, he was elected
mayor of the city of Boston, as the candidate of the Democratic
party. Mr. Palmer was a man of marked scholarly instincts
and attainments, and found in his books his chief recreation
from the cares of business and politics. As an orator he
possessed powers of a high order. Few surpassed him in
aptness and felicity in extemporaneous effort, while his more
studied addresses are conspicuous for brilliancy of expression
and originality and vigor of thought. His Memorial Day
oration, delivered in 1883, of which Wendell Phillips said :
"Edward Everett never gave us anything better," seems worthy
of special mention. Mr. Palmer died May 27, 1887. His
widow and two sons survive him.
SAM WALTER FOSS.
This poet and editor was born in the house standing on
the cross road connecting the South Road with the Borough
or Chester road, and which is now owned by Daniel E.-
Brown, whose wife is an aunt to Mr. Foss. His parents
were Dyer and Polly (Hardy) Foss, his mother being a
daughter of Samuel Hardy and a sister af Mrs. Daniel E.
Brown. Young Foss attended school in the old district No.
4, and was "highly esteemed by his schoolmates and the
people of the neighborhood, who regarded him as a very-
bright and contemplative boy. In summer he worked with
his father on the farm, and he still cherishes tender mem-
ories of those days. In 1872, his parents removed to Ports-
mouth. He fitted for college in the schools of that city
and was graduated at Brown University at Providence, R. I.,'
in the class of '82. Two or three years after leaving col-
lege he became the editor of the Lynn Transcript, to begin?
about that time to write humorous and dialect poems, soon;.
SAM WALTER FOSS.
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 531
establishing a high reputation in that line, his effusions
being copied largely by the papers and magazines of this
country, Canada, England and Australia. In 1887, he was
invited to the editorial chair of the Yankee Blade, the great
literary paper of Boston, with the understanding that in
addition to his other labors he should write a poem weekly
for that publication, these adding materially to its success.
In January, 1893, the better portion of his poems were pub-
lished under the name of "Back Country Poems," which is
meeting with a large sale. Mr. Foss is no servile imitator
of others, but writes of nature as he sees it. Many of his
most humorous productions contain a lesson which tends to
stimulate and strengthen the moral sentiments of his readers,.
He was married in 1887 to Miss Carrie M., daughter of
Rev. H. W. Conant of Providence, R. I., and resides in
Somerville, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Foss have two children,
a son and a daughter.
CALEB CUSHING SARGENT.
The name of Caleb Cushing Sargent, a son of Jonathan Sar-
gent, was omitted from the list of college graduates given in
Chapter XXVI. He was born in 1835 and graduated at Dart-
mouth college in i860. He taught school awhile and prac-
tised law several years, to finally become a trader at Corinth,
Vt., where he is now engaged in business.
J. ROWLAND BATCHELDER.
James Rowland Batchelder, who came to Candia from Ray-
mond and resided in the village many years, died very sudden-
ly from the effects of the explosion of a kerosene lamp, while
sitting by it reading on the evening of Nov. 20, 1892.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS.
The following items, fragments of articles and additional
information gleaned by the author and found among his loose
papers, some of which were evidently intended for publication,
are thought to be worthy of preservation:
CANDIA AS A SUMMER RESORT.
During the past few years a considerable number of the
•farmers of Candia have profitably engaged in the business of
entertaining, during the summer months, people belonging to
some of the crowded cities and towns on the seaboard. There
are few towns in New Hampshire where finer scenery and
distant prospects are to be obtained than from Tower hill,
Patten's hill, High street, Clark's hill, Walnut hill, and other
places that might be mentioned. The roads are in excellent
condition, and a drive over the hills and through the valleys is
delightful. The wild fruits are abundant and the railroad and
postoffice facilities all that can be desired. A small outlay
only would be required to fit up a large number of the spacious
farmhouses for convenient and attractive homes for visitors
during the summer season. There is no doubt of its being
made profitable.
PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY.
The Candia Grange was instituted in 1891 and has become
a flourishing institution. The following are t the names of the
present officers : Worthy Master, Benjamin Lang; Overseer,
Samuel F. Colcord ; Lecturer, Mrs. Frank D. Rowe ; Secretary,
Frank E. Page ; Treasurer, George Clark ; Steward, Jesse W.
Sargent ; Assistant Steward, F. Augustus Mulliken; Lady Assist-
ant Steward, Ella Richardson ; Chaplain, George E. Richard-
son ; Ceres, Mrs. George E. Cross ; Pomona, Mrs. George E.
Richardson ; Flora, Mrs. E. J. Sylvester ; Gate-keeper, James
H. Brown.
522
HISTORY OF CANDIA. 523
CHANGES IN POPULATION.
In the course of a few years after the first settlements were
made in town, some of the original owners of lots sold their
property to new-comers and removed to the northern and west-
ern sections of this state and Vermont. About the beginning
of the present century, a considerable number of families.moved
to the state of Maine and New York. Between the years 1825
and 1840, a large number of families and many young men and
women settled in various western states. The farms and resi-
dences they left behind were in many cases sold to parties coming
from other localities. These changes in the population have
continued until, at this time, a few only of the inhabitants are
descendents from the people who lived in the town ninety
years ago.
On High Street there are not over eight persons who live upon
lands which were owned and occupied by their ancestors pre-
vious to the year 1800. The following are their names : Isaac
Fitts, a grandson of Daniel Fitts, Esq., and a great-grandson of
Lieutenant Abraham Fitts, the first by the name of Fitts who
came to Candia ; a daughter of John S. Patten, who is descend-
ed from Master Moses Fitts ; Samuel Morrill, 3d, who owns
a part of the farm upon which his grandfather, Samuel Morrill,
Esq., resided; Mrs. Lucinda Eaton, wife of George Eben Ea-
ton, who lives on the homestead once owned by her grand-
father, Theophilus Clough, 2d, and first owned by her great-
uncle, Theophilus Clough, sr., who was the first owner; An-
drew J. Robie, son of Asa Robie and great-grandson of Icha-
bod Robie, the first settler on the place ; Andrew J. Fifield, a
grandson of John C. Fifield and great-grandson of Stephen
Fifield, one of the first inhabitants in town ; J. Lane Fitts, a
grandson of Reuben Fitts and a great-grandson of Jethro Hill ;
-George W. Brown, a grandson of Aaron Brown, sr.; Elias P.
and Joseph Hubbard, sons of Joseph Hubbard, sr., and grand-
sons of Benjamin Hubbard, one of the first settlers.
On the North Road there are only five persons who reside
on the farms of their ancestors of less than a hundred years
ago, and these are Dana Hall, a grandson of Benjamin Hall ;
Addison Smith, a grandson of J. Chase Smith ; William B.
524 HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Thorn, a grandson of Nathan Thorn ; John G. Martin, grand-
son of Moses Martin; Lorenzo Hoit, grandson of Col. Thomas
Wilson.
On the New Boston road a great-grandson of Benjamin Lang
is the only person who lives on the homestead of his ancestors.
Moses F. Emerson resides on the place on the Chester road
which was first occupied by his grandfather, Moses Emerson,.
a soldier of the Revolution. Mrs. Thomas Colby lives on the
place which was first owned by her grandfather, Israel Dol-
ber, sr.
At the Village, Bradley Beane and Bradley B. Beane live on
the place which was owned and occupied by Joseph Beane more
than one hundred and forty years ago. Mrs. Mary S., widow
of the late D. C. Moore, is now the owner of the home on the
South road upon which her grandfather, Col. H. T. Eaton, and
great-grandfather, Paul Eaton, resided. Ellen S. Eaton, daugh-
ter of Henry M. Eaton, is now the owner of the place upon
which her great-grandfather settled in 1773. Dea. Edmund
Hill lives on the place owned by his grandfather, Dea. John
Hill, more than 130 years ago.
On the Patten road, Mrs. John S. Nutting, lives on the
homestead settled by her great-grandfather, Thomas Patten,,
over a hundred snd forty years ago. There are no other des-
cendents of the early inhabitants living on the road.
J. Osgood Wason resides on a place situated on the Jersey
road which was owned by his father, John Wason, and grand-
father, Robert Wason.
George F. Patten lives on the old homestead on Clark's hill
which has been in the possession of his family for four gener-
ations, his great-grandfather, Robert Patten, being the first
owner.
THE END.
INDEX.
Abatements of soldiers taxes, 1775, 88
Academy, Asa Fitts" 428
Accidental deaths 304
Account of John Lane for building
meeting house 60, 62
Accounts of continental soldiers . 93
Adventists 227
Aged people 15. 399
Aged colored woman 459
Amusements 4S1
Anderson's tavern 234
Anecdotes 105, 151, 437, 455
Anniversaries, wedding 340
centennial .... 416
Animals, cruelty to 367
Armsby, Rev. Lauren 193
Articles of faith, Cong 203
Artillery, officers of 141
Assault case of Bean and Patten . 310
Association, test of 1776 73
Bagley, Dr. Thomas 383
Baker, Moses ... .54. 81. 84, 88
Bands 377
Banks 162
Baptisms 222
Batchelder, J. R 521
Bean, Rev. Moses 216
Beane, Rev. Samuel C. . . . 320, 513
Bears 42
Beavers ,• 45
Bell of Cong, church 196
Berry, Dr. Edward 385
Biographical sketches 486
Blake, Geo. B., death of . ... 310
Blacksmiths 276
Blueberries 279
Brigade, muster 156
Brown, Frank P 288, 516
John 5i°
Dr. John 382
Jonathan C 320
■Boulders 37
Bounties 17. 178, 180
Bounty jumpers 180
Bunker Hill 69, 70
Burnham, Dr. John L 386
Burial customs in
Butler, Philip A 5*9
Camp meetings 442
Candia Banner 398
Candia's independence 130
Mutual Fire Ins. Co. . . 239
■Catholics in town 228
■Carpenters 277
Carriages, sleighs, etc 275
Carr, Dr. Edgar L 385
Cass, Benjamin 55.439. 442
Cavalry, officers of ... . . . 142
Celebrations 414
Cemeteries . . . 105-6-7-8-9-10-11-19
Centennial 416
Charmingfare 130
Chimneys, fireplaces 358
Clay, Lorenzo 319
Chester, survey of 27
turnpike 159
Choir, Cong, church 373
Free Will Baptist church, 375
Methodist church. . . . 377
Churchs . . . See under different den.
Colby brothers, death of ... . 309
Cold summers and winters . . . 354
Committee, 1st meetinghouse . . 57
of inspection .... 68
of safety 75
to proc. soldiers, 1778 86
Cong, society, history of. ... 183
church improvements. . . 211
deacons 212
funds of 212
ministers 183
sale of parsonage .... 213
new parsonage lot ... . 214
Collectors, names of 476
Coopering 266
Coopers 267
Corner, stores at 282
Currency 161
Dark days 346
Daughters of Rebekah .... 232
Dearborn, Lt. Thos., death of . . 89
Debating clubs 429
Debt, imprisonment for . . . . 313
war 182
Decorations 371
Decoration day 418
Dedication of new Cong, church, 201
Deer inspectors 46
Delegates to Prov. Congress . . 69
Deaths by accident 304
suicide 303
Deerfield explosions 325
Depot Village, stores at . . . . 288
Dialect, Yankee 324
Diphtheria, cases of 309
Dow, Rev. Lorenzo B 218
Domestic manufacturing .... 265
Drafted men in 1812 . ..... 128
525
526
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Drafted men in 1863 179
Droughts 356
Dudley, D. B., G. A. R. post . . 233
Joseph P 219, 507
Mary J 324
Samuel 270, 508
Sara I '. . 324
Woodbury J. . . . 425, 508
Duncan, William . . 191,213, 283, 286
William H. . . 319, 324, 427
William, Jr 191
Dusten, Capt. M., ace. ag. U. S. . 90
letters to his wife, 91, 92
Early settlers, privations of. . 29, 52
East Candia, stores at 287
Eastman, Dr. Joseph 384
Eaton, Ephraim K. . . 319, 441, 502
Francis B. . . . 415, 399, 509
James H 323
fesse 319
Peter 284
Eclipses 347
Edgerley, Andrew J 515
Emerson, Abraham 499
Francis P 323
Carrie L 324
John Dolber . . . 319, 499
Col. Nathaniel ....
. . .48, 68,75, 78, 253, 496
letters to Col. Webster, 75
William R. P 322
Encounter with the devil .... 456
Enrolled men, substitutes to war, 179
Epidemics 389
Fairs 399
Farmers' and Mechanics' Libr. . 236
Farming of old 254
Farm stock 258
Fashions 446
Federalists in town 116
constitution of . ... 117
members of club . . . 125
Field officers 141
Fifield, Stephen 103
Fire, borrowing of 363
Fires 241
Fire insurance 239
Fitts, Abraham (Lt.), dairy of . . 81
Asa 285
Academy of 428
Franklin 323
Rev. Jas H. . 323, 415, 416, 513
Dr. John Franklin .... 323
J. Lane 168, 417, 518
Moses 284
Moses Hall 319
Nathan 285
Foreign missions 467
Foss, Sam Walter
Foster, Avery M., M. D. . . 386,520
Samuel, M. D 382
Free Masonry in Candia .... 230
Free Will Baptist Soc 214, 216-
funds of . . . 220
meeting house . 216
ch., members of, 217
choirs . . . 377
pastors, '90, 22O'
So. Road. . 227
French, Coffin M 516.
George Henry .... 321
Dr. George H 323.
Samuel Franklin .... 320
Freshets 357
Fruits of old time 262
Gate to High Street cemetery . . 106
Glacial period, evidence of . . . 36
Graduates of colleges 322
Granary, the old 201
G. A. R., W. B. Dudley post . . 233
Grant, Dr. L. E 386
Giants of territory 17
Grasshoppers 357
Hall, George 518
Halls 330
Hamlets, list of 41
Harness makers 279
Hat manufacturing 278
Haywards and hogreaves .... 47
Hearse, first town 106
Herrick, Rev. William T. . . . 192
Hubbard, Charles H 321
Henry A 321
Hidden, Rev. Ephraim N. . . . 192
High schools 138.
High Street cemetery 105
stores 284
Holbrook, Mrs. Sarah 111
Holt, Jacob S. . ., 271,515,
John ' 271
Homesteads and their owners . . 479.
Husking bees 261
Incorporation, act of 32
petition for . . . 31
Improvements . . 365
Indian relics 424
Infantry company 142
Intemperance 426
Inventory, 1891 445
Ingalls, E. R., trial of 341
Jewett, David, first minister . . 55, 183
[ones, Rev. Isaac 187
Jurymen for 1775 64
Justices of the peace 293
"Kelly, Dr. Timothy 381
Lane, Emma 380
Dr. Isaiah 383
James P 322
John, accounts of. . .61,62
Lane, Richard Emerson .... 319
Lane Rifles 157
Lang, Thomas, Jr 517
Langford, Joseph C 287, 510
Lawsuits 30c
INDEX.
527
Liberty poles 425
Libraries 235
Library, Smyth Public 237
Light infantry 108, 140
Literary fund 137
society 236
Longevity, names of old people, 399
Lost steers 435
Lots, first in Candia 27
Lovejoy, Rev. George Edward . . 193
Lower Inf. Co 142
May day 4Z7
training 143
McClure, David, first settler . . 29
Medicinal plants 44
Meeting house, building of first . 57
pews, sale of . . 59
warming of. . . 197
Melodeons, first in town .... 380
Memorial day . . 418
Methodist society, 223, 224
members of. . 224
pastors of . . . 224
com. to hire . . 54
Minister, first settled 183
Ministers, Congregational ... 183
F. W. B. -church . . .218
Methodist 224
Militia, field officers of . . ... . 141
history of 137
' laws relating to 154
trouble with Chester It. inf. 154
Mills 249
Moderators, names of 473
Monuments 106, 419
Mooers, Dr. Samuel 55, 69
Maj. Samuel 282
Moore, Dr. Coffin 381
J. Bailey 5
John . ■ 501
John T 323, 501
Morrill, Charles F. , 512
Henry Robie 322
Samuel 311
Mountains seen from Candia . . 45
Mowing machines, first in town . 434
Murdock, Rev. William 191
Music, history of 372
teachers of 379
Musters 146
anecdotes of 151
brigade 156
dinners 150
places of 157
Mutual fire insurance company . 239
Nail factory 278
Names of persons over 70 years . 399
New Boston road 41
New Boston road cemetery . . . 108
North road 41
stores 285
Notice May training 143
Odd Fellows 231
early members . . . 232
officers ... ... 232
Officers, artillery 141
cavalry 142
field 141
infantry Cos 142
Union Baptist church . 471
Old houses 434
people 399
Palmer, Alanson 321
Albert ....... 320, 519
Moses 322
Wilson 324, 417
Parker, Frederick 318
Parsonage, Cong 63
lot, sale of . . . 213
Pattee, Dr. Luther 384
Patten, Daniel Dana 320
Dea. Francis 500
Col. Rufus E 419
Capt. William R. . . 321, 416
Patrons of Husbandry 523
Pay roll, Capt. Barker's company, 88
R. I. campaign .... 89
Peabody, Rev. Albert B 195
Peace and war 374
Pensions to soldiers 458
Perambulating town lines . . . 247
Periodicals taken in town .... 397
Petition to Gov. Shute 26
Pews, owners of, Cong, church. . 210
Phiibrick, John D 321
Physicians 381
Pianos 380
Pigeons, catching of 280
Pictures 369
Pillsbury, David 318
Col. David 154
Dr. John 383
Political parties 115, 458
Population 294, 523
Ponds 40
Portraits 369
Postmasters 290
Postoffices 289
Potato rot 455
Pound, the 336
Prescott-Graves controversy , . . 107
Prices of articles of living .... 80
Prince, Rev. Jos., blind preacher, 183
Privations of early settlers ... 52
Progressive Orthodoxy .... 466
Quarrel, result of 310
Quimby, Jacob H. ...... . 318
Quota of Continental soldiers . . 86
Railroad 244
Ramsey, Mathew, early settler . . 29
Reade, Rev. Wm. Churchill . . 194
Rebellion, war of 166
• history of regiments . 167
Reception of Gov. Smyth .... 420
S28
HISTORY OF CANDIA.
Reed, Jacob 322
Relics of Indians 424
Religious history concluded . . 461
Remington, Rev. Jesse 185
Representatives to legislature . . 472
Reptiles 43
Revivals 209
Re volution, war of 68
Reynolds cemetery 109
Rivers and small streams ... 39
Roads 41, 48, 49. 295
Robie, Dr. J. Wilson 323
Rowe, Jonathan 285
Russell, Rev. Charles P 190
Saddlers 279
Saltmarsh, suit of 301
Sargeant, Cyrus 497
Capt. John 497
Sargent, Caleb Cushing .... 531
Sargent, Dr. Samuel 384
School districts 132
first 130
funds in 1764 48
examinations 432
lot 5°
superintendents of . . . . 477
Searle, Rev. Jonathan 183
Secession in N. H .23
Selectmen, account of 1780 ... 99
names of 473
September gales 353
Settlement of Candia 29
Settlers, names of first .... 29, 30
Sewing circles • . 453
Sheriffs 477
Shoemakers, names of 270
Shoemaking 269
Shows 454
Signers of petition for incorp. . . 31
Silk culture 272
Singers of Cong, church .... 374
F. W. B. church ... 376
Situation of town 34
Sleighs, carriages, etc 275
Small pox 3°8
Smith, Alvah A. 322
Benjamin, early settler . . 29
Smyth, Mrs. Emma 503
Dorothy
Frederick. .106,419,420,503
Public Library 237
Stephen 503
Snakes 4°8
Somnambulism, case of W. Fitts, 315
Soldiers claims, speculating in . . 181
graves, marking of . . . 419
monument 419
pensions 458
Revolutionary, names of
... 16. 71-9, 82-6-8, 93-5
war of 1812 128
Spelling schools 431
Spiritualists 226
Stages 237
Station agents 246
Stewart, Mrs. Flora 459
Stores 15, 282
Storms 352
Substitutes of enrolled men . . . 179 ■
Sudden deaths 307
Suicides 303
South Road, stores on 286
Summers, cold 354
Sunday schools 466
Superintendents of schools. . . 477
Tanners 276
Taverns 233
Taxpayers . . . 103, 164, 240, 312, 334
Teachers of music 379
Teachers, names of to 1880 . . . 131
salary of 131
Tea parties 454
Telephone 425
Temperance movements .... 427
Text books, list of 133, 135
Thompson, Hon. Thomas W. . . 390
Time, old and new style .... 359
Time pieces . . .• . ... 420
Town's action, support of civ. war, 176
Town clerks, names of 475
lots 27
meetings 46, 478
officers, duties of ... . 46
elected 1774 ... 50
list of ... . 46, 472
treasurers, names of . . . 475
Tornadoes 353
Tower hill pond 40
Tramps 411-
Travel in old times 298
Tything men 47
Uniforms of militia men .... 143
Union Baptist church 217
officers of. . 471
parsonage . 222
Ununiformed companies .... 142
Universalists 224, 225
Wallace, Rev. C. W., address by, 208
Wall decorations 371
War debt 182
Weddings 337
Wedding anniversaries 340
Wells 445
Wheat, Dr. Nathaniel 382
Dr. Thomas 323
Wheeler, Rev. Abraham, 105, 187, 464
Whipping post, the 337
Whittier, Aaron G 514
Winters, cold 354
Witchcraft 422
Wood and timber 273
Young, Dr. Leander S 386
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